Editor,
The drought, heavy rain and strong winds brought down many trees statewide – most of them being eucalyptus trees. At this point there is no count but there has been significant damage to private/public property. The drought was problematic for these thirsty trees. Significant quantities of rain in a short period of time uprooted some, toppled others – the result has been devastating. I am not sure that we will know the number of trees here is Laguna that were removed as a result of Mother Nature’s activities. I am sure there are groups of people who would prefer we did not know the real number as this might undermine their fanatic push to preserve every eucalyptus tree and plant even more.
Speaking of planting, I read that Ruben Flores was going to teach a class on planting native plants. I certainly hope that part of the education he was sharing so kindly with young people and families also included that the eucalyptus trees are not indigenous to our area despite the fact that someone some time ago made them our city tree. Who was in on it, who signed off on it is still one of the unsolved mysterious on the planet.
I sincerely hope that those being appointed to committees that play an active role in our town, i.e., Design Review, Heritage, Parking and Traffic Control, realize that there is more than one point of view on appropriate vegetation, view preservation, and the safety of our community. We need to get past the idea that this city is about eucalyptus trees. I would bet that most people who buy, rent, or visit our City are not here to pay homage to these trees.
Ganka Brown, Laguna Beach
