Please!  Keep up the pressure!  The fight continues, winning only a week reprieve at a time for the life of this beautiful tree, while an attorney, hired by private citizens, works to hold the City Council of Pacific Grove accountable. Pacific Grove Public Works is poised to cut down this heritage tree to make way for a new sidewalk through a campaign of misinformation and manipulation.

The City of Pacific Grove City Council has already voted to cut down this mature 100 year old healthy American Elm tree, citing risks attributed to root growth creating a trip hazard and fear of litigation should the healthy tree fall at some point. Now the Public Works Department claims the roots are rotten when no root study has been done.  This is in conflict with more than one independent arborist opinion: "My opinion of the tree is that, judging by its bark and green foliage, the elm appears to be healthy and growing vigorously," stated Frank Ono, who has worked as an arborist for the city in the past. He said the tree also appears to be stable, calling the tree's lean to the west "slight." Other problems with the tree are not enough to condemn it, he said, adding there are mitigations to correct potential issues. He also suggested that the curb the tree butts up against "can be reconfigured artistically with a slight curve to accommodate the tree." 

It's that curb where the tree was getting in the way of a new sidewalk the city wants to construct that prompted the city to seek removal of the elm over the summer. The city is now delaying the release of public information and declining to engage with citizens legal council. What is there to hide?  That the decision to kill the tree lacks the support of expert information and is going in the face of the professional recommendations and assertions of independent arborists.  

We need to keep up the pressure. Tell the city that removing a mature healthy tree is not acceptable and town citizens expect the city to attend to the tree to assure its stability.