Council Puts A Cork In Tree Removal Plan

Though much of Mondays meeting was dominated by a massive appeal from frustrated Malibu school community members, the City Council also deliberated a number of other items, including preferential parking permits at Point Dume and an idea to remove hundreds of eucalyptus trees throughout Malibu that could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Councilmember Laura Rosenthals proposed eucalyptus tree removal plan for the city which, according to the staff report, could call for removal of over 875 trees, brought out several community members to oppose the idea.

Eucalyptus trees are non-native, highly flammable trees that pose a fire danger, reads the agenda report.

City staff has estimated itcould cost $1,000 per tree, meaning close to $900,000. Many opponents cited environmental concerns, especially for monarch butterfly migration patterns.

Im speaking on behalf of the Malibu Monarch Project, said Pat Healy, the leader of the MMP.

It just so happens that the favorite roosting habitat of the monarchs is eucalyptus trees and sycamores here in Malibu, Healy said, so for these reasons we ask that you do not proceed to go forward with this project to remove the eucalyptus trees.

Council seemed to side with the community, as members Lou La Monte and Joan House did not mince words in their distaste for the tree removal plan.

I think spending all this money to chop down all these trees in Malibu is just not a good idea from my point of view, said La Monte.

This is another one of those issues that, you know, Im not going to support whats here tonight at all. But I can support, when theres time available, sending it to the environmental review board or public works, said House, adding, I dont think we vet things enough and this has to be vetted.

It was still a slight victory for Rosenthal, though, as Mayor Skylar Peak later called for what he named a comprehensive tree plan to be created by public works to study what the impact of the tree removal would be.

Excerpt from:
Council Puts A Cork In Tree Removal Plan