Tree removal on Park Avenue

You may have noticed some trees disappearing on Park Avenue. At Tuesday nights Chico city council meeting, there was a debate on whether or not to remove a tree near the intersection of Park Avenue and E. 20th Street.

A few months ago, requests were put in to remove several trees along Park Avenue that were blocking billboards from the view of drivers. The city and advertisers came to an agreement removing 9 of the trees, pruning 6, and monitoring another 2. Of the trees removed, the city says those were good candidates for removal. They were dying, diseased, and had structural problems like interfering with traffic lights.

City officials say it's a constant struggle to keep residents and businesses happy, while maintaining the city's motto as the city of trees. We're looking at balancing what our needs are from a public landscape, but also not impact a private entity that's getting commerce out of that. So it is definitely a balancing act," said Dan Efseaff, Park and Natural Resource Manager for the city of Chico.

The tree in question is 25 feet tall, one of the taller trees that line Park Avenue. The council voted to keep the tree and instead prune it to make the billboard more visible.

Also at tonights meeting, the council voted to extend the city's audit of financial statements until March.

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Tree removal on Park Avenue