Willow Glen Resident
News
Ideas on tree preservation take root as community, city team up
By Emilie Crofton
Willow Glen residents were eager to offer their input during an outreach session with San Jose city officials on tree preservation policies and services.
Kevin Briggs, who is with San Jose Pubic Works Department, coordinated two meetings in June. City officials and staff, certified arborists and San Jose residents brainstormed about tree policies.
Residents told city officials that they have been frustrated with the existing treeremoval and preservation processes.
There are currently more than one million trees in San Jose. The city spends $2 million annually on street maintenance, but there is no city budget for a comprehensive tree preservation program.
A recurring recommendation brought up by city residents was the need to create a "tree department" because residents said the complaint process was difficult and frustrating, and that they had to contact too many different departments in the city on tree issues.
Rhonda Berry, executive director of Our City Forest, who was at the meeting, later said, "It's important to the community that we have better coordination. There should be a centralized venue. This is equally critical for Our City Forest because right now the responsibility to Our City Forest is fragmented; there's no central stage."
During the meeting, the certified arborists described their frustrations and their sense of being caught in the middle of the complex process.
The idea for a review of current tree polices was triggered by an incident earlier in the year.
Willow Glen residents were in an uproar over the illegal removal of two sycamores on Willow Street. The police were called to the property but were unable to stop the removal because there was no process in place to determine if the homeowners had a permit.
To prevent illegal removals, police can now issue a cease order to tree removal companies that do not have a permit in hand. The process will enable the police to confirm permits and investigate the status with code enforcement.
June Cooley, a Willow Glen resident who lives at the Hamilton Place condominium complex, was at the meeting and wanted to hammer home another point.
"The emphasis I want to make is that the city needs to make sure they consider the wishes of homeowner association residents." Cooley has been fighting to save the 41 eucalyptus trees that her homeowners association is considering for removal.
Other residents were frustrated by another issue: the city's current maintenance of trees.
Briggs said property owners are responsible for the maintenance of street trees.
People expressed concern that not everyone is able to afford maintenance of the street trees and that trees should not be planted if the city can't take care of them. After the meeting, Berry said the expense should not fall on the homeowner. She added that proper pruning by the city could help solve the problem.
She also emphasized that even in tough economic times, the city needs to make an investment in tree-care services.
A variety of residents from different communities and backgrounds came to the meeting.
"The community input is critical for us to reach success," Briggs said. "We want to make this process better. We are working hard to address the concerns of the entire community."
Cooley, who has sent the city numerous e-mails about possible suggestions, was also pleased with the meeting.
"I'm happy with the meeting and that they solicited our input," Cooley said. "The city does care. They listen to us and they will come up with a fair process."
Cooley said she also realized that although the city will listen, residents have to be patient with the city.
City staff will review all the information and discuss it with the San Jose community. They want this to be an interactive process between the city and residents, according to Briggs. Once city officials have a consensus from the community on how to proceed, the plan will be presented to the city council.
