Park district to ax trees
Dead and dying eucalyptuses in a Carmichael nature area present a
safety and fire risk.
By Bill Lindelof -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST
Thursday, February 23, 2006
With twin goals of safety and fire protection in mind, a park
board decided last week that the insect-ravaged, dead and dying eucalyptus
trees in a Carmichael nature area should be removed.
The Carmichael Recreation and Park District advisory board of directors
unanimously voted to remove certain trees from the Schweitzer Grove Nature
Area.
The grove, a 17-acre, mostly undeveloped neighborhood park, is heavily
covered by eucalyptuses, some of them 100 to 150 feet tall. The trees
provide shade for visitors who walk along the dirt paths that wind among
the grove.
But some trees in the grove next to Albert Schweitzer Elementary School
on Glenridge Drive have been hit hard by an insect from Australia, which
has caused them to die or become sick.
A report from Tree Care Inc. arborist Jim Hunsaker sent to the park
district described the situation:
"I found that the majority of the red gum eucalyptus trees have been
severely infested with a pest called red gum lerp psyllid (Glycaspis
brimblecombei)."
Hunsaker said in his report dated Aug. 24, 2005, that he found about
120 dead eucalyptuses in the grove:
"The pest causes severe damage to the foliage with defoliation
occurring, which in turn weakens the tree, resulting in decline and
dieback usually resulting in the death of the tree."
Hunsaker said there was a potential for serious injury, because of
"potential failure by one of the dead trees or large dead branches."
The board accepted the recommendations of Hunsaker, park district staff
members and fire officials that all dead and dying eucalyptus trees be
removed and that a proper firebreak be cleared between the grove and
surrounding houses.
In a letter to park maintenance supervisor Keith Maddison, Sacramento
Metropolitan Fire District officials called for a firebreak.
"The northern and southern boundaries are the most critical at this
time due to the density of growth," fire district supervising inspector
Gregory Lake wrote Jan. 24.
He noted that the area of Ca-stleglen and Donnybrook ways should be
served first, because homes there have shake roofs.
Maddison estimated that the firebreak would cost $60,000, and removing
dead and dying eucalyptus trees about $30,000.
Other measures endorsed by the advisory board included preventing new
eucalyptus trees, encouraging the growth of native trees such as oaks and
pruning low limbs to prevent fire from moving into the tree canopy.
Roger A. Caron, a resident who attended the Feb. 16 meeting, supported
the board's action after the vote. A Castleglen Way resident for more than
30 years, Caron can see the grove from his front yard.
"This is exactly what I wanted, leaving the healthy ones," he said. "I
think the area should be cleaned out, the bad ones taken down."
An 18-"hole" disc golf course in the park is regularly used by the
Mutha Putters disc golf club. In disc golf, players toss a Frisbeelike
disc into a target - an elevated metal basket - in as few attempts as
possible.
Ron Brown II, a charter club member, applauded the decision.
"The trees will be thinned," he said. "It is a great opportunity to
work with the residents and the park district."
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