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Photograph by Paul Myers
A rainstorm toppled a eucalyptus tree at Saratoga Elementary School Nov. 12.
Fallen tree rekindles dispute about the fate of 90-year-old eucalyptus
By Oakley Brooks
A dead issue reappeared last week in the form of a decayed tree at the Saratoga Elementary School, which blew over in a light rainstorm Nov. 12.
The uprooted eucalyptus fell near playfields and a classroom. The next morning Saratoga Union School District Superintendent Mary Gardner received calls from parents who were worried about other tall trees on the campus.
The situation had tree advocates bracing for a repeat defense of another tree: a 90-year-old eucalyptus in the center of campus, still standing after a bitter two-year fight to keep the tree through the school's recently completed renovation project.
"We've done the survey, and eucalyptus trees are in schoolyards across California," said Jill Hunter, a tree advocate and former school board member. "As long as you take care of them, they're safe."
Hunter's comments anticipated an announcement Nov. 13 by Gardner that she would have an arborist evaluate the safety of all trees at Saratoga School, particularly ones that might have been damaged by construction and could be prone to disease and eventual collapse.
"You balance what you can, and when you can't, you value children's safety," Gardner said.
Gardner and Hunter were at the center of the debate over trees at Saratoga School that's still all too fresh in the minds of those on both sides.
Indeed, parents who expressed concerns to Gardner last week were unwilling to speak publicly about the trees for fear they might inflame the situation. Privately, they pointed to their own research, compiled more than two years ago, that showed the dangers of sizable limbs dropping off eucalyptus trees.
That safety argument ran up against historic preservationists such as Hunter, who resigned from the school district board in late 1998 because of the district's plans to cut down 10 eucalyptus trees planted at Saratoga School in 1910.
The ensuing struggle between parents, bent on felling the looming trees, and advocates for both the property's oaks and eucalyptuses drew in the city council, which sided with the tree supporters. Agreements hashed out in the spring of 1999 between the city, tree advocates and the school district required the district to hold a public hearing before cutting down either of two "historic" eucalyptuses left at that point.
But on May 3, 2000, in what was the punctuating moment of the struggle for tree advocates, contractors felled one of the two large trees early in the morning without giving any notice to the city or advocates. District officials claimed they forgot to inform the interested parties.
Gardner indicated last week that she and the district would try to avoid such a mistake again. While parents were calling on her to consider bringing down the last remaining eucalyptus from 1910, among other trees on campus, she said any decision on the oldest tree's fate would not be made without consultation with the city and community members.
Although the Nov. 12 tree casualty wasn't from among the original crop planted in 1910, the district had aimed to preserve it through the construction phase. Gardner said the tree had been protected by chain-link fencing throughout construction and that she was surprised by its apparent decay.
Hunter suspects that heavy equipment used by contractors may have damaged the tree, which did not receive the same close monitoring that proponents gave to the oldest eucalyptus and a stand of oaks during expansion.
"I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did," she said.
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Saratoga, California Since 1955
