To the Editor:
To the Ukiah City Council and Staff:
At last month’s Public Workshop for the School Street Project, many of those attending supported the proposal for one-way traffic because they thought it would help save the existing Chinese Pistache trees by opening up more sidewalk space. The staff answered many questions, but by the end of the meeting there were still concerns about mature trees being removed before needed.
Using one-way traffic to conserve the mature trees was proposed by the City of Ukiah staff during its community workshops last year. Below is a slide from their presentation, which can be found on the City’s website at ghd.mysocialpinpoint.com/school-street-corridor-study/home/ (Workshop Two Presentation). Under “Option 3: Tree Replacement Program”, it states “Will allow younger trees to mature before older trees must be replaced.”
At the December workshop, City staff explained that underground utilities would be moved to the center of the street with feeder lines to businesses that would avoid the tree roots. But they then suggested that the existing trees needed to be removed anyway because the roots were damaging nearby historic buildings, even though another slide (below) suggested that the existing roots could be managed. They also suggested that the trees, at 60, are nearing the end of their natural life cycle. But Chinese Pistache trees can live to be 150, and not a single existing tree has been identified as diseased or otherwise a danger to the public.
As of this writing, 2,974 people have signed an online petition to save the trees. ( www.change.org/p/stop-the-removal-of-trees-on-school-street-ukiah) The City’s tree management guidelines state that “Priority will be given to limiting removal, increasing forest canopy, and preserving appropriate vegetation and shade on city property and streets. . . . Tree preservation is arguably the single most important goal in maintaining the Urban Forest. A replacement tree requires decades of growth to achieve similar benefits of carbon sequestration, shade, habitat, and beauty. . . . For all these reasons and more, every tree should be treated as a precious resource with all efforts made to protect whenever possible.” City Council and staff should commit themselves to evaluating each tree on School Street individually to determine if it can be saved. Removal should be the last option, not the first.
Thank you for your consideration of this important matter. Please incorporate these tree protection measures in any proposal for funding.
-Dennis O’Brien, Ukiah
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