The large Torrey Pine at 4633 Long Branch Avenue in OB that the city of San Diego and its contractor are trimming – with a permit to remove next month – was designated a Heritage Tree back in November 2016. It was one of 8 so designated in OB (here’s a map of OB Heritage Trees).
What does it mean for a tree to have this status?
Issues such as tree health, public safety, and overall function and value of each tree are given more extensive consideration.
Also, alternatives such as sidewalk re-contouring, metal grating, corrective pruning and any other feasible alternatives to removal must be considered first.
The trees are also then specifically identified in the City’s Master Tree Inventory, which is scheduled to be updated by 2019, and go on record as being labeled in one or more categories as Landmark, Historic, Parkway, or Grove trees of significance.
As the OB Rag reported in September 2016:
Torrey Pines as Heritage Trees
Once these trees are evaluated and deemed eligible, they will be afforded additional protection in several ways.
Each tree will be assessed and evaluated in terms of overall health, and a monetary value will be determined. The monetary value is important as it is used to assess penalties, at a 3:1 ratio, for any damages or unnecessary death of the tree.
For example, a large Torrey pine in Mission Beach was recently nominated and was estimated to have a value in the 5-figure range, so potential penalties for damage are significant.
In addition, issues such as tree health, public safety, and overall function and value of each tree are given more extensive consideration. Alternatives such as sidewalk re-contouring, metal grating, corrective pruning and any other feasible alternatives to removal must be considered first.
The trees are also then specifically identified in the City’s Master Tree Inventory, which is scheduled to be updated by 2019, and go on record as being labeled in one or more categories as Landmark, Historic, Parkway, or Grove trees of significance.
The group, Save Peninsula Trees, was the lead organization in having these Torreys designated as Heritage Trees.
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Richard Agee was instrumental in saving this Torrey – out of his own wallet, he paid for an arborist who studied and tested the tree and was able to successfully counter claims by the city that it had to come down.
How about something I saw in Egypt: supporting the tree as another feasible alternative to removal?