Easton trees in discussion

The tree-lined street lost six eucalyptus trees over the past few years due to health problems. An arborist recently checked the remaining trees and found they were well maintained for the past 20 years. Many of these trees will need to be replaced over time, however, because of size, age and destruction of the street.

"We know we have to do something. Hopefully we won’t chain saw massacre all the trees in one fell swoop. The plan is to replant a few trees every year to create a beautiful canopy of the street maintained,” said Vice Mayor Terry Nagel.

The ongoing process of creating a plan includes reaching out to the public for input on trees. The commission will consider creating a plan incorporating suggestions generated from two public hearings held earlier this year.

Limited number of species

The public wanted to see a limited number of species, trees with large trunks, accent trees and a focus on fast-growing trees with minimal limb drop and debris. Four types of trees were suggested. Residents were interested in keeping Tasmanian Blue Gum, the tree currently used on Easton, and a striking eucalyptus tree called the cladocalyx sugar gum as the primary replacement.

The nicholii willow-leafed peppermint — a weeping tree with narrow, blue leaves — was suggested as the primary accent tree. A tidy, round-headed tree with bright red flowers called the ficifolia red flowering gum was suggested for planting in front of the Easton Branch library.

Long range

"This is a long-range program. We’re not going to cut all the redwood trees down and replace them with something else. It’s a matter of attrition as the trees become older. This may not happen for 10, 15, 20 years. We just want to have a plan in focus,” said Beautification Commissioner Jeanne Carney.

The commission meets 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 2 at City Hall, 501 Primrose Road, Burlingame.

Heather Murtagh can be reached by e-mail: heather@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 105. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.