Was Chinese Flame Tree on Voltaire Needlessly Cut Down?

Only the stump remains of a healthy Chinese Flame tree. Locals have spray painted “Why?” and “RIP”

We have to ask: Was the Chinese Flame Tree on Voltaire needlessly cut down on May 3rd by the City?

At the time of the cutting, locals who inquired of the crews doing the work were told that the tree was causing cracks in the sidewalk and needed to be removed.

This particular tree was 17 years old and had been planted along with other Chinese Flames, as well as other types of trees, along Voltaire as part of a project sponsored by then-Councilman Byron Wear.

The problem with the explanation is that there are numerous trees along that block of Voltaire that have apparently caused similar cracks in the asphalt or concrete, or that exhibit lifts to the sidewalk, or that have patch jobs around them.

Other than that, the tree was healthy, provided needed shade and had become part of the urban landscape on OB’s secondary commercial area.

Tree stump seen through the window of a local business.

Many residents – including people of the businesses in that stretch of Voltaire – are very upset with the city.  One staff person told me that due to the loss of shade from the tree, they had to move their products around the storefront to avoid the sunlight.

Colleen Dietzel of the Green Center is upset. Here she stands next to another Chinese Flame that also has caused a crack in lifts to the sidewalk.

Another employee told this writer that a local neighbor had complained for years to the city in efforts to get them to come out and trim the pine tree in that 4800 block. When that same neighbor found out about the Chinese Flame being cut down, they exclaimed that they believed that not only had the city cut a tree down instead of trimming it, the city had cut down the wrong tree.

The OB Rag will look into this allegation that the city had cut down the wrong tree.

Meanwhile, folks at the Green Center – across the street from the downed tree – are also outraged by what had happened needlessly they believe. Coleen Dietzel of the store told us that she had contacted both Councilwoman Zapf’s office as well as the mayor’s office. Now, she said, John Ly from the mayor’s office and Conrad Wear of Zapf’s are working together to track down what happened and why.

These trees are in the public-right-of way, thus part of the city’s responsibility. But in this case, has the city cut down a tree needlessly? The tree was fine and had made some of the surrounding hard surfaces move a bit. No big deal.

If the city cut down every tree that caused cracks in the sidewalk, or caused the sidewalk to lift some – our urban landscape would be denuded of the trees that give our community so much.

This is not the first time a tree in OB has been needlessly cut down or severely trimmed. Maybe it will be the last time before the local citizenry gather together to prevent these types of occurrences within our environment.

See the following photos of trees in the immediate vicinity with similar problems to the sidewalk:

Adjacent palm tree has a crack in the sidewalk.

Patch jobs on the tree’s sidewalk are very obvious. Was couldn’t the city done the same in this case instead of removing it?