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July 27, 2001 |
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Statewide Insect Infestation Hits Home; MTA to Remove 119 Dying Eucalyptus Trees Along Burbank-Chandler Right-of-Way
Versión
en español The trees, some of
which are nearly 50 years old, are located on two sections of the
Burbank-Chandler right-of-way on the Chandler Boulevard median, between
Tujunga Avenue and Laurel Canyon Boulevard, and between Bellingham Avenue
and Corteen Place. Based on advice from two professional arborists, MTA
will remove the trees to protect passing motorists and pedestrians from
limbs and pieces of bark that could fall from trees weakened by the
infestation. The trees on the
Chandler Boulevard median are among a dozen varieties of eucalyptus trees
threatened by the current infestation. Their nemesis is the redgum lerp
psyllid. About the size of a pin
head, the redgum lerp psyllid was first seen in California in Monterey in
1991. It was discovered in Southern California in El Monte in 1998. Since
then, efforts to control the pest with pesticides and predator insects,
including lady bugs and an Austrailian wasp species, have proven
relatively ineffective and cost prohibitive, leaving removal as the only
effective option. The redgum lerp psyllid
uses the trees as a food source and as a nest for its eggs. It damages the
leaves of the eucalyptus trees by drawing sap, which causes defoliation to
the trees. It also secretes a sticky substance on the leaves, the
surrounding landscape, cars and sidewalks. Safety, however, is the
issue of greatest concern. As eucalyptus trees die, they begin to dry out
and limbs and heavy pieces of bark can fall, sometimes from considerable
heights given the size of some of the older trees. Experts estimate that
more than 80 percent of the 119 trees already are dead and the rest are
dying. It will cost MTA
approximately $56,000 to remove the 119 trees. The work by Travers Tree
Service of Palos Verdes Peninsula is expected to be completed Crews will begin the
removal at Tujunga Avenue and proceed west. Various pieces of heavy
equipment will be used and some lane closures on Chandler Boulevard will
be necessary when the larger trees are removed, but the closures will
occur only during non-peak hours between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Traffic control
will consist of appropriate signage and flagmen. With a combined length
of approximately 1½ miles, the two work areas are located within a
14-mile section of the Burbank-Chandler right-of-way, which has been under
consideration by the MTA Board for development of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)
system, or "busway." Yesterday, the Board selected BRT as the locally
preferred transit alternative for this east-west corridor. The removal of the
trees is not linked to the busway project, however, MTA will develop an
appropriate replanting plan for the affected areas in conjunction with
landscaping plans for the entire length of the busway. Due to the serious
safety concerns, it is not possible to delay removal of the infested trees
until the landscaping plan for the busway is developed. MTA is only one of
several local government agencies forced to remove thousands of trees on
public property at considerable cost. The Los Angeles City Department of
Recreation and Parks anticipates it will cost at least $2 million to $3
million to remove as many as 6,000 infected trees in the city's parks
that could perish by the end of summer. To date, the department has
removed about 300 trees in the vicinity of Griffith Park, Valley Village
Park, Lincoln Park and Rancho Park. Teresa Proscewicz, the
department's principal forester, says another 20,000 trees on the
hillsides of Griffith Park and Elysian Park near Dodger Stadium likely
will die but probably will not be removed due to lack of funds. She says
the trees do not pose an immediate safety hazard because they are located
in areas not frequented by the public. The Los Angeles City
Department of Public Works has removed 200 eucalyptus trees from streets
in Woodland Hills and Toluca Lake. George Gonzalez, the department's
chief forester, anticipates that the number of dead trees will climb by
another 200 to 300, mostly in Woodland Hills. In addition to the work
it will perform for MTA, Travers Tree Service recently removed
approximately 40 large eucalyptus trees from the UCLA campus. Native to Australia,
eucalyptus trees were first introduced to California in the 1850s. MTA-106
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