Fallen eucalyptus prompts vow to save the others

ENCINITAS —- Heavy winds toppled one of the old eucalyptus trees growing along the Coast Highway this week, but

city officials said Friday that they have no immediate plans to remove or inspect those that remain.

ENCINITAS —- Heavy winds toppled one of the old eucalyptus trees growing along the Coast Highway this week, but city officials said Friday that they have no immediate plans to remove or inspect those that remain.

“Our first thought isn’t, ‘Let’s take this tree down,’ ” said Larry Watt, public works director. “Our first thought is, ‘What can we do to keep this tree and keep it in a safe situation?’ “

The situation during Tuesday’s windstorm bordered on the tragic.

A fat and gnarled blue gum eucalyptus, estimated at 75 to 80 years old, crashed into the parking lot at Hansen Surfboards, at South Coast Highway 101 and J Street.

Three cars were crushed, and authorities said two young women were sitting inside one of them. A Fire Department captain said that the women were “very shaken up.” They received treatment at the scene for minor cuts.

“If (the women) had been a couple of feet forward or a couple of feet back, it would have been all over,” Councilman Dan Dalager said Friday.

Like a handful of other roadside trees, the one that fell Tuesday was on a “watch list,” Dalager said, adding that the city must step up its response to trees that are showing signs of decay.

“I hate to see them go,” Dalager said, “but we can’t have somebody get hurt.”

Soon after the tree fell, authorities ordered the evacuation of a building beneath a second, leaning eucalyptus about 12 feet away from the one that crashed.

That afternoon, the city ordered evaluations from two arborists, and both concluded that the second tree should be removed, Watt said. The removal began within hours and crews worked into the early evening.

As of Friday, damage estimates for the three automobiles and costs for the tree work were unavailable.

“Insurers are in the process of assessing the damage,” said Jace Schwarm, the city’s risk manager. “Whether they come after the city or not has yet to be determined.”

In interviews Friday, Dalager and other city officials said Tuesday’s damages offer a reminder of the difficult balance Encinitas must strike between preserving old trees and maintaining public safety.

In the southern stretch of downtown Encinitas and along much of North Coast Highway 101 in Leucadia, dozens of eucalyptus trees unfurl in a shady canopy over highway lanes and sidewalks.

“They’re between a rock and a hard place trying to keep the benefits of the trees and to keep the community safe,” said Andy Trotter of West Coast Arborists Inc., which provides consulting and maintenance services to the city.

Encinitas needs a plan to manage its canopy of trees along the highway corridor, said Peder Norby of the Downtown Encinitas MainStreet Association.

Such a plan should identify when older trees should be removed and where and when saplings should be planted to replace them, he said.

“I do think the eucalyptus trees pose a serious threat,” Norby said, “but I don’t think the answer is to remove them without a comprehensive canopy management plan.”

At least one leader of the Leucadia 101 MainStreet Association said she feels the same way.

Association President Patricia Bell said Friday that about a year ago, the branch of a large, roadside eucalyptus broke near her business and damaged two cars. The tree was later removed.

“They were supposed to have replaced it but never have,” she said.

Tree maintenance and preservation is sure to come to the fore as the city advances plans to beautify the North Coast Highway 101 corridor, she said.

“We’re looking forward to maintaining what we can and adding to the canopy,” Bell said. “We definitely recognize the importance of a tree canopy along North Coast Highway 101.”