Santa Monica's axed ficus trees make it to YouTube

Comments

[Jaime]

All those seudo city officials and the judge that aided and abetted this atrocity should go to jail. Cutting trees like that shows ignorance, arrogance and disrespect for history of a city.

The new kids in power just showed how boorish and uncouth they are, and it is time the law protect the citizens from politicians turned into monsters doing whjatever they want once in power.

Jail time to the city officials that allowed this masacre. There is no excuse in civilized world to do this, neither behing progress, neither behind safety. It is plain ignorance and arrogance.

This is the same kind of people that built that aweful apartment complex on Lincoln Blvd at Playa del Rey, right on the marshes.

What a display of ignorance and stupidity, and then, this same derelicts want to lecture the third world on green lives, on enviromental protection, on preservation.

Jail to all these sad derelicts.
Jaime Aguirre.

[Diana Campbell]

I am a journalist on the Los Angeles City College newspaper. I have been following the outcome of the Ficus trees in Santa Monica and I am so saddened.by the news about their recent demise.
I am currently working on an article regarding the "Wilowbrook 9" a group of trees that line the border of our college on Willowbrook St. and Vermont St. They are slated to be chopped down because they are said to be causing problems that can result in future litigation: Naughty roots
that create a volcanic upheavel of a sidewalk resulting in law suits.
I've talked to professional arborists who claim that it isn't necessary to remove the trees. Barriers can be put down in the soil to stop the action of the thirsty roots looking for water.
I wrote to Eric Garcetti's office and my e-mail was forwarded to the 'powers that be' in the East Hollywood area. I was informed that the City of LA won't be respnsible for cutting down the trees, but the contractors who are doing new construction on our campus will be responsible for these barbaric acts. The reason he gave me is that the trees might interfere with the new structures currently bein constructed on our campus. This is hog-wash because I not only know that barriers can be put down near the roots, I have been reading about a new solution that uses rubber sidewalks that raise with the roots accomodating them. I also was told by an LA city tree remover that the roots on Willowbrook and Vermont streets are heading away from the campus (and buildings), I could honestly live with this if the lumber from the trees was being used to build homes like 'Habitat for Humanity', or some other charity. No, I was told that the trees are turned into mulch and is given away, or chopped into firewood and given to workers. They don't even make a profit.
Talk about a way to treat trees that have been providing shade and oxygen for seventy five years and are at least that old. Last but not least: The shade given to the Chemistry and Life Science buildings that are in line with the trees probably means that the buildings will have to increase the amount of A/C used in the summer.
I rest my case.
I will keep The Times posted on the future of these beautiful giants.
Diana Campbell reporter for The Collegian and the magazine The Collegian.
323 252-2604
Sorry no spell-check