The Government War on Trees

The vision of an Ecotopian society is illustrated in this R. Crumb image of modest, low tech human habitations scattered aesthetically among the trees. Santa Cruz used to be a center of advocacy and practice of this vision:

This is today’s Santa Cruz Reality:

For many years, Santa Cruz county and city governments have been waging a war on local trees, the so-called “urban forest.” Despite city Heritage and county Significant tree ordinances, allegedly protecting urban trees, nearly every construction project includes a permit to cut down and remove them. The ordinances direct developers to plan their projects to avoid the removal of heritage and significant trees. As you can see in the pictures above, project plans frequently rely on the removal of existing trees in the project areas.

Significant/Heritage Tree Ordinances

• County Significant Tree Ordinance
• Santa Cruz City Heritage Tree Ordinance
• Scotts valley Heritage Tree Ordinance
• Watsonville does not have a tree ordinance, but does identify a Watsonville Community Forestry Project
• Capitola Heritage Tree Ordinance

Current Construction Projects

• The SC City Zoning Administrator
  • 110 Hiawatha Avenue – Coastal Permit to Recognize the Emergency Permit Issued to Remove One Black Acacia Heritage-Sized Tree with a Co-Dominant Trunk
  • 210 and 212 Brooke Avenue – Coastal Permit to Prune More Than 25% of a Heritage Tree’s Canopy Which Extends into the Public Right-of-Way
  • 412 Logan Street – Coastal Permit for Removal of Two Trees, Including One Heritage Tree and One Non-Heritage Tree
• The SC City Planning Commission
  • 902, 908, 908A, 908B, 920, 928, 1004, 1008, 1010, 1014 Ocean Street, 417, 419, 421, 423, 429, 431, 433, 435, 449, 454, 457, May Avenue, 126, 130 Hubbard Street – Residential and Non-Residential Demolition Authorization Permits, Heritage Tree Removal Permit – Remove 16 Heritage Trees
  • 313 Swift Street – Planned Development Permit, Coastal Permit, Design Permit, and Heritage Tree Removal Permit, including the removal of six(6) Heritage trees
• The SC City Parks & Recreation Commission
  • Heritage Tree Mitigation/Replanting In Lieu Fee and Tree Bond
• The County Regional Transportation Commission
  • Santa Cruz County Coastal Rail Trail – a 32 mile rail and trail project that will result in the destruction of thousands of trees along the rail trail corridor. Significant and heritage tree removal will be conducted by county and municipal permits.

In today’s reality, the significant and heritage tree ordinances do not prevent the destruction of urban trees, they only regulate their removal.

Urban trees provide beauty and inspiration for human residences, habitat for urban wildlife, including humans, provide cooling shade, absorb atmospheric CO2 and emit atmospheric oxygen that all life depends on. The replacement of urban trees with more asphalt, cement, metal and glass significantly adds to the urban heat island effect that increases the perception of rapidly increasing global warming.

Urban trees are more than architectural details on glitzy development drawings, they are active parts of the interdependent natural world in which we all live.

Environmental Meetings

The County Zoning Administrator will meet Friday, February 21 at 9:00 am in a hybrid meeting at the Board of Supervisors Chambers, Room 525, County Government Center 701 Ocean Street Santa Cruz. Click HERE for the agenda and instructions for public participation. Agenda items include:

• 275 Lee Road, Watsonville – Proposal to establish a community harvest program at the Watsonville Slough Farm, including parking area, restrooms, farmworker housing (4 RV pads), trails and boardwalks. Requires a Coastal Development Permit, Conditional Use Permit, Conditional Site Development Permit, and Riparian Exception and consider adoption of a mitigated negative declaration pursuant to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

The SC City Zoning Administrator will meet Wednesday, February 19 at 10:00 am at City Council Chambers, 809 Center Street in Santa Cruz. Click HERE for the agenda. Agenda items include:

• 110 Hiawatha Avenue – Coastal Permit to Recognize the Emergency Permit Issued to Remove One Black Acacia Heritage-Sized Tree with a Co-Dominant Trunk (1-24 Inch and 1-26 Inch Diameter Trunk) Within the R-L/CZ-O/SP-O (Multiple Residence – Low-Density/Coastal Zone Overlay/Shoreline Protection Overlay) Zone District. Environmental Review: Categorical Exemption.
• 210 and 212 Brooke Avenue – Coastal Permit to Prune More Than 25% of a Heritage Tree’s Canopy Which Extends into the Public Right-of-Way from an Adjacent Property Zoned R-1-5/CZ-O/SP-O (Single-Family Residential/Coastal Zone Overlay/Shoreline Protection Overlay) and Within the Seabright Area Plan. Environmental Determination: Categorical Exemption.
• 412 Logan Street – Coastal Permit for Removal of Two Trees, Including One Heritage Tree and One Non-Heritage Tree, on a Lot of Approximately 5,750 Square Feet in Size Located in the R-L/CZ-O (Multiple Residence – Low-Density/Coastal Zone Overlay) Zone District. Environmental Determination: Categorical Exemption.
• 914/916 Seabright Avenue – Minor Land Division to Subdivide an Approximately 21,562 Square-Foot Property into 2 Lots on Land Located in the R-L/CZ-O (Multiple Residence – Low-Density/Coastal Zone Overlay) Zone District. Environmental Review: Categorical Exemption.

The SC City Planning Commission will meet Thursday, February 20 at 7:00 pm at City Hall, 809 Center Street in Santa Cruz. Click HERE for the agenda. Agenda items include:

• 902, 908, 908A, 908B, 920, 928, 1004, 1008, 1010, 1014 Ocean Street, 417, 419, 421, 423, 429, 431, 433, 435, 449, 454, 457, May Avenue, 126, 130 Hubbard Street – Residential and Non-Residential Demolition Authorization Permits, Heritage Tree Removal Permit, Minor Land Division, Design Permit, Special Use Permit, and Density Bonus Request to Demolish Four Commercial Buildings and 12 Residential Units on 21 Lots, Remove 16 Heritage Trees

The Santa Cruz Sierra Club Executive Committee will meet Wednesday, February 19 at 6:30 pm by remote teleconference. Click HERE for information and instructions for public participation.

Environmental News and Articles

• Join the City’s New Sustainability and Resiliency Committee!
• What are the benefits of urban trees in cities?
• Ecuador extends rights of nature to coastal ecosystems

#climateChange #environmentalism #Growth #Politics