Monrovia to Be Less Green?

The ailing sycamore tree by the playground in Library Park will be cut down this month. – Courtesy photo / City of Monrovia

There tree landscape in Monrovia is about to change. The city has assessed the trees that call Monrovia home and determined that some are in need of a trim while others must come down.

Monrovia currently deploys a citywide tree trimming program that coordinates tree trimming activity in different sections of the city throughout the course of the year. Recently, staff coordinated to have the tree trimming contractor, West Coast Arborist (WCA), begin mobilization in anticipation of the city’s annual tree trimming work.
Based on the city’s current schedule, the tree trimming work will be focused in the area located north of Foothill Boulevard, and work crews will be conducting tree trimming activities on all trees located within the city’s parkways during the next few months. The work schedule calls for tree trimming to start on the west end of the city, and crews will progress eastward.  Of course, prior to any tree trimming work, the city will have “no parking signs” posted in advance of any scheduled maintenance activity.

In addition, a number of trees have been identified as being problematic due to their health and condition as well as the impact they are having on the infrastructure throughout the city. One of the trees identified as problematic is the large sycamore at Library Park located just west of the playground. A consulting arborist from WCA visited the site recently and found that the tree is infested with the polyphagous shot hole borer, which is an invasive species that feeds on the tree and diminishes its overall structure. Based on the identified infestation, the arborist recommended the removal of the tree, which has a highly-increased risk of failure. The removal of this tree is scheduled for Oct. 22.

Other trees have also been assessed for opportunities to minimize their impact on infrastructure (such as root pruning or installing root barriers). The ultimate goal is to preserve as many trees as possible. However, in situations when the health of the tree is declining and the trees are impacting the infrastructure, a decision has been made to remove them in coordination with ongoing or upcoming Monrovia Renewal construction activity.

As a part of the replacement of the sidewalk, the tree wells will be left intact so that new trees can be planted back in their place. The Field Services team is working to identify suitable replacement trees and will work to replace them when the construction is complete and the planting season is desirable.
As this entire process unfolds, contact the Public Works Division at (626) 932-5575, if you have any questions or concerns.

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