San Jose’s downtown palm trees are dying.
So San Jose has closed the landmark Circle of Palms — located just outside the San Jose Museum of Art — because its dying trees are in danger of falling and will now be removed, officials said.
Ahead of the weekend’s San Jose Jazz Summer Fest, city workers placed metal barricades and hazard signs around the perimeter to keep the public away from the unstable trees. “Several” of the approximately 30 palms were “found to be dead or dying,” the city stated on social media.
Dying palm trees stand next to ones that are still green at the Circle of Palms Plaza in downtown San Jose on Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. (Dai Sugano/Bay Area News Group)
“City crews are barricading the area to keep the public safe. Please avoid the designated hazard area and listen to city crews and contractors if asked to move,” the city government said. “The city is responding to this potentially dangerous situation as quickly as possible, while keeping the public away from the potentially unstable trees.”
San Jose has asked the public to “avoid the designated hazard area and listen to city crews and contractors if asked to move.”
No trees have been removed yet, according to Colin Heyne, spokesperson for San Jose’s Department of Transportation. While the city is still assessing how many trees must be taken down, the work will be designated as an “emergency removal,” allowing crews to skip the standard 14-day public notice and appeal period once work begins.
Events that were previously scheduled to take place at the plaza, directly across from the downtown park formerly known as Plaza de Cesar Chavez, were moved to other venues.
What is causing the trees to deteriorate remains under investigation, Heyne said Monday. Potential causes include pests like palm weevils, as well as fungal or bacterial diseases. While many of the palms still appear green, that does not rule out the possibility of infection.
The San Jose Museum of Art remains open to the public.