Bureaucracy Slows Tree Trimming Project
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — Freshly trimmed trees on 5th street between Main and Spring should make a nice impression on gallery-goers attending Art Walk this evening. More would have been done, but yesterday the city's Bureau of Street Services put a kink in the Historic Downtown BID's trimming project, claiming the vendor lacked necessary permits.
Russell Brown, HDBID's Executive Director, spent much of Wednesday on the phone trying to figure out what had gone wrong. The vendor, who is city-licensed, has done countless jobs around Los Angeles. He told Brown that the street closure paperwork that Street Services was saying had been missed had never been required on previous jobs.
The city's urban forestry division typically handles tree trimmings, but limited funding means that cuts come nearly a decade apart. For fast-growing ficus trees, that means that the tree's crown quickly gets overgrown and creates dark sidewalks. When the trees are trimmed, nearly all grennery is cut off, leaving what look like dead trunks (though they grow back in six months or so).
Brown hopes to see the BID's project back up and running shortly.
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Tornadoes28 on November 13, 2008, at 03:09PM – #1
My god when the hell are they going to trim those trees in front of Grand-Hope Park? And not just a minor thinning but major branches that are only 5 feet or so off the ground need to be removed.
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on November 13, 2008, at 03:46PM – #2
Absolutely. We wrote about that block back in August:
http://blogdowntown.com/2008/08/3565-time-for-a-trim-on-hope-street
Norbie 7 on November 13, 2008, at 06:35PM – #3
Where's da dought, ya know???! Come on: ya wanna play - ya gotta pay!
Pay your block dues!!!
This is the new era in L.A.
It's called City Haul, U.S.A. / SOMEBODY best get paid off and lets not talk about billboards, legal or otherwise.
Norbie da Arborist on November 13, 2008, at 07:00PM – #4
Dead tree trunks????
Whatta ya want - Little Shop of Horrors?
Brigham on November 14, 2008, at 11:34AM – #5
I agree, we need to keep pressing the City to trim and remove branches by Grand Hope Park. Perhaps that place wouldn't be so hidden and actually be visually tied to the area once the trees are properly trimmed.
Eric, you be the watchdog! :)