Does Whittier’s tree manual need fixing to ensure safety?

Whittier metropolis officials again volition survey its histrion manual that provides criteria for removal, among different options, successful effect to concerns aft receiving astir 30 calls astir falling branches and limbs during past week’s storm.

Whittier Councilman Henry Bouchot asked for the survey astatine the Dec. 14 assembly gathering successful effect to the tempest that occurred earlier that day, saying he’s acrophobic that trees, which aren’t safe, are not being removed.

In particularly, helium blamed the Whittier Conservancy, a nonprofit preservationist group, for opposing indispensable removals of trees

“It’s similar we’re frightened of a confrontation with the Whittier Conservancy,” Bouchot said.

“I would similar to spot ways we tin sphere our municipality canopy but does that mean waiting until a tree, which has reached past the extremity of its beingness cycle, perchance falling upon a idiosyncratic oregon a person’s  home?” helium asked. “Sometimes determination are lives astatine stake.”

The 21-page histrion manual provides guidelines for the planting, pruning, preservation and removal of each trees connected City spot and right-of-ways

David Dickerson, Whittier Conservancy president of its Urban Forestry Committee, defended the histrion manual.

The manual doesn’t forestall the removal of dangerous, dying oregon dormant trees, Dickerson.

“The conservancy is not going to entity to having a histrion which is unsafe oregon dying removed and different enactment successful its place,” helium said. “The manual provides for removal astatine the discretion of the metropolis arborist.”

But Bouchot successful a Tuesday telephone interview, said helium is seeking to broaden erstwhile trees tin beryllium removed.

“Currently, the histrion manual lone allows removal of trees if they are dormant oregon successful menace of imminent harm,” helium said.

“I deliberation the much sane mode to bash it is to regenerate trees erstwhile they scope the extremity of their beingness cycle,” Bouchot said. “It would beryllium safer for our residents and conscionable arsenic effectual successful presumption of protecting the municipality forest.”

Virginia Santana, manager of parks, recreation and assemblage services, said she expects to instrumentality to the assembly aboriginal adjacent twelvemonth to find retired much details connected what it wants looked at.

Santana said the problems connected Tuesday were not caused by diseased oregon dying trees and didn’t request to beryllium removed.

“They seemed to beryllium successful bully shape,” she said. ” You conscionable don’t cognize until the weather.”