Easton Euc decision: Stay in the Euc family

Listen closely and one can hear the distant echo of the Tom the Tree controversy from sixteen years ago.  Tom Jr. reached adolescence six years ago to the day here.  Now Tom Jr. will be getting some young siblings--almost like surprise babies as part of Easton Ave. is de-Eucified and re-Eucified with a different Euc species.  The DJ has some pithy quotes from our city elders about the decision to go with lemon-scented gum Euc.  Our City Arborist, Rich Holtz reiterated what our local, amateur tree expert Jennifer Pfaff recently said elsewhere on the Voice:

Holtz said the lemon-scented gum is a cousin of the eucalyptus tree but is smaller.  “There are some benefits to it, like they are very well suited to our climate, they are drought tolerant, they have low root infrastructure conflict, this particular species is aesthetically valued as a striking white bark, it tolerates pruning well and has a long-life expectancy,” Holtz said.

And the mayor weighed in with

“This is not an ordinary street,” Mayor Michael Brownrigg said. “This is a place to showcase the treescape, and so because it was set as a public space, I think we need to honor creating a special public space.”  Brownrigg said the 28-foot setback from the curb to the residents’ homes makes him believe the designers of the city intended Easton Drive to be a special place to showcase landscaping.  “To me, as soon as you have a mix of trees you just have any old street on Burlingame, which are all beautiful but it’s not special,” Brownrigg said.

I'm a fan of "theme streets" like the one I live on designated for sycamores.  We have to be vigilant because sometimes the designation is lost or forgotten in City Hall, but fortunately we have a few people with long, accurate memories around town.  Tom is looking on and is pleased.

Comments

[sue]

Does Beach want palm trees on Easton?

[hollyroller@ gmail.com]

The lack of concern for "everything" that happens beyond "Cell Phone, or a 2 Million Dollar Home" etc. Is really not a concern of the "children of parents" who have indulged an entire generation.
Make Money. F Everybody else.
Gosh Darn It.

[Joe]

Who is this Dan Myers guy writing a confused letter to the Daily Journal? Here is his letter and my responses in the -------- sections.

Mayor Michael Brownrigg and the councilmembers are wholly wrong in voting against a variety of trees on Easton Drive in Burlingame.

Maintaining the status quo simply because trees were planted 250 years ago in this spot wildly misses the point of serving the needs of one’s community. Anyone who’s ever driven along El Camino in Burlingame knows the trees have caused the pavement to undulate and stick-up to the point where parts of the road are traffic hazards.
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I'm pretty sure the eucalyptus were not planted in 1773, but let's forgive math-challenged Myers. Anyone who has walked along El Camino--and I do it every day--knows that the eucalyptus are the best pedestrian safety mechanism in town. One man's traffic hazard is another man's "road diet".
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So, perhaps with 250 years of hindsight (ugh, really??), people might realize this isn’t the place to plant trees that grow to enormous sizes and endanger our roads and safety.

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I guess Dan Myers missed the change to the smaller eucalyptus species. Why let facts get in the way of a good rant?
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Did you see the multiple trees that were felled across El Camino earlier this year, which took days to clear.
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Yeah, we all saw that there are 390 eucalyptus trees on El Camino and maybe 5 fell in the storm of the century. The real question is if Caltrans had properly maintained them, would any of them fallen? The pines around town are more of a risk--should we cut them all down too, Dan?
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But, sure, a meaningless history of eucalyptus trees that serves no one is more important to Brownrigg — and the councilmembers who sided with him — than making streets safer for traveling. Seemingly, it’s more important for them to do something over again simply because that’s the way it’s always done instead of stepping back and questioning why things are done and who they benefit.
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Any dolt who uses the term "meaningless history" should be ignored. There's a new town in Solano County about to be built--it sounds like Dan Myers' kind of place. He can be the first one on his sterile faceless block.
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Variety is the spice of life and Burlingame’s leadership seems awfully milquetoast with this vote.

Dan Myers

Burlingame

[hollyroller@ gmail.com]

Very Good Post.
However, if there are any Humans left a Hundred Years from now; driving any vehicle, riding a bike, or walking will be eccentric and or optional.
When Planting for the Future of Burlingame it is "Anyone's Guess" what the environment will be.