Don't mess with the trees

City bureaucrats in San Pedro learned a valuable lesson: you don't yank out eighty-year-old street trees in Los Angeles, even sick ones, without somebody noticing and caring. The Breeze reports:

The lush canopy of California pepper trees that lines Dodson Avenue near San Pedro's Averill Park has created one of the town's most beautiful neighborhoods.

Many residents moved there because of the street's green and shady aesthetic appeal. The area was showcased as one of L.A.'s "10 Best Neighborhoods You've Never Heard Of" in the Dec. 15, 2004, edition of Los Angeles Magazine....

So neighbors were understandably alarmed last month when they found city notices on their doors announcing that many of their beloved trees would have to come down. Two trees already have been removed and several blocks along Dodson between Western Avenue and Seventh Street would be affected.

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"It was very upsetting," said Julie Jonas, who moved to the neighborhood because the lush foliage and historic homes reminded her of her home state of Maine. "The trees are so beautiful, and they've been here for so long."

So she called someone, the local councilwoman got involved, and pretty soon the city decided it would not strip Dodson Avenue of its peppers and will essentially hold a hearing before any tree is removed. People here like their trees.