One by one the big eucalyptus come down. They have shaded Yvonne Brathwaite Burke Park for decades.. But now county officials say a fungal infection has made theses big branches dangerous..
"For public safety, we have to remove immediately 17 trees, which they are doing right now," said Dusty Crane, L.A. County Dept. of Beaches and Harbors. "And then on Monday we will start to remove the other 40-plus trees. There's a total of 63 trees that will be removed."
Several trees recently fell on their own, prompting the concern for park users.
The recent wind storm did a lot of damage to trees across the region, raising even more worry the big old eucalyptus might come down on someone.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of controversy about the tree removal. Most people seem to understand that the trees are a threat and should come down. The view is about to improve for nearby condominiums.
County officials are considering replacing some of the trees, though it is still not clear with what.
Right now the priority is safety.
"One: Public safety. Two: We do not want the rest of the trees to get disease," said Crane.
Park patrons will miss the shade, but when it comes with the threat of having a tree come down on you most will learn to live without the big old eucalyptus.
