If you missed it, you missed a lot. What started out as civil got a little ugly.
The message; Don't mess with our trees!
Present were:
- 1.PG&E technicians, vegetation specialists, and utility arborist
2.Councilman Don Gage
3.Channel 7
4.At least 100 concerned neighbors and citizens
5.The local Audobon Society
A brief excerpt:
Those trees tagged with a light green paint are scheduled for removal (or per PG&E's terms 'work')
for 2010. Others will be or are tagged for removal next year.
An undetermined number of those trees are old oak trees.
PG&E is paying for the removal of 25% of the trees in the TJ Martin Park, and claims the project
as nothing to do with budget cuts.
Transmission lines are required to be 27 ft. from the ground, with a 10 ft. clearance from the
trees to take into account occasional 'line sag'.
Concerns are that power coverage as far as San Francisco, as well as potential danger issues
can be affected in the event of contact.
The Audobon Society and neighbors involved in the nesting box project expressed concern
over the trees to be removed and that will not be relocated in time for the nesting season.
Topping was disccused and is considered an issue by PG&E due to continued need for
clearance and growth of trees, which neighbors discussed as varied based on individual
trees.
There was also discussion as to poor planning on PG&E's part and the option of raising
the tower lines or tower itself considering it is less than a 1/2 mile area and this has been
done in the past.
A number of attendees also questioned why, if PG&E was open to working with the community,
it had not attempted to do so more than one month prior to the scheduled removal of the trees.
When asked to provide specific information on each tree, they said they had the information,
but that it was not available to the public.
They also noted that Adopt-a-Park members have planted and nurtered many of these
trees for a number of years, and as a number of attendees noted; 'They are not your trees!"
Prior to my leaving, there was an agreement that approx. 10 selected community members
would walk the park with PG&E officials to review and discuss each tree scheduled for removal.
Community members recommended that an independent arborist be hired for this purpose, and
PG&E officials noted that their arborist was notably a utilities arborist, hired specifically for
these types of issues.
Your thoughts?
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