Red dots indicate which palm trees will be removed from Elysian Park
Photo by Jesus Sanchez
A stretch of Stadium Way in Elysian Park between Scott Avenue and Academy Road is known as the Avenue of the Palms, where towering Canary Island Date Palms form a stately canopy and a popular backdrop for classic car shows, film shoots and Dodger opening day parties.
But about half a dozen of these 50-foot-high palms, planted more than a century ago, will be coming down along with other trees in this and other parts of Elysian Park as the Department of Recreation and Parks determines which are dead or dying.
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The department has been marking trees: white dots for pruning and red dots for removal.
Palm trees at Elysian Park marked with a white dot for pruning (left) or red for removal (right).
Photos by Jesus Sanchez
“Trees identified for removal are either dead or in significant decline and cannot be recovered,” said Rec & Parks spokesperson Rose Watson.
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“At this time, the proposed removals are being verified,” Watson said. “Once confirmed, the department will seek bids from prequalified tree contractors and proceed with the work pending budget approval.”
Watson did not cite a specific blight, but The Eastsider reported in 2014 that a fatal fungus, Fusarium wilt, had spread to Elysian Park. The disease, which has killed trees from Spain to Santa Monica, prompted the nonprofit Friends of Elysian Park to spearhead the planting of hardier Chilean Wine Palms, Jubaea chilensis, among the older and dying Canary Island palms.
No dates have been set for tree removals, Watson said. Park staff still needs to secure bids, approvals, and schedule the work with a contractor.
Sakae Koyama, co-president of Friends of Elysian Park, noted that the park’s forestry department usually errs on the side of caution, taking insect infestation, disease and age of the tree into consideration.
Towering palms in Elysian Park, some more than a century old, are showing signs of decline as city crews assess which trees can be saved.
Photo by Jesus Sanchez