Italian stone pines along Anapamu and Laguna Street | Credit: Courtesy

Arborists on Santa Barbara’s Street Tree Advisory Committee (STAC) wrestled both the past and future on October 3, when they were tasked with choosing a species of tree worthy of replacing historic stone pines that have fallen or been cut down on East Anapamu Street. But before any species could be agreed upon, they first had to figure out if the stone pine itself should be included on their list of options. 

Ultimately, and with regret, committee members gave the majestic conifer, Pinus pinea, the heave-ho. 

“They just have unbelievably aggressive roots,” said arborist and STAC member Duke McPherson. “More aggressive than, or maybe on par with, the Morton Bay fig down by the train station.” 

That the roots of the iconic pines have been an unrelenting source of consternation and difficulty for decades went uncontested at the meeting. Bulbous and shallow, they’ve buckled sidewalks, cracked asphalt, and sent city workers out again and again to hack them back in order to make repairs — a short-term remedy that ultimately weakened the trees. 

Since 1997, when the City Council bestowed landmark status on 79 of the remaining statuesque pines lining the sidewalk between Garden and Milpas, 33 have either collapsed or been cut down due to disease and age. Two fell last March in a storm; five more were removed in June for safety reasons. The end result is a lot of empty tree wells soaking up sun where once there was deep shade.

People who live on Anapamu and in the vicinity, 10 of whom attended the meeting, mostly want trees planted and are less concerned about what kind.  

“I just want the trees to show up. Immediately,” said Linda Bentsen, whose apartment is on the 300 block.  

Mickey Cornish lives at the corner of Anapamu and Laguna. He emphasized the need to take care of the pines that are still viable. But with a large one in front of his house and another across the street, he wants them to be evaluated regularly. Cornish’s mother, it turns out, watched them be planted as saplings by Augustus Doremus in 1908. And when he was a high school student with a new car, he would cruise up and down Anapamu, all because of the trees. That was the late 1960s, he said, when they were in their prime and the contiguous canopy, or allée, blocked the sun for six straight blocks. 

“It was amazing,” he said. 

“It was the most wonderful street. The real thing, man,” added McPherson. 

No one disagreed.



Native coast live oaks create a dense canopy | Credit: Courtesy

One sticking point to any redesignation of the species was whether their landmark status would prevent it. To find out, Nathan Slack, superintendent of the City’s Urban Forest Program, turned to the City Attorney’s Office for a review. The answer came back that, as written, the resolution that made the Doremus pine trees a Historic Landmark actually bestowed the status to individual trees, not the full stretch of plantings. As each tree dies, it takes its landmark status with it, leaving the city free to plant something new in its place. 

“If the resolution had been written been written differently, it would have precluded us from making significant changes,” said Slack.  

When talk finally turned to what kind of tree might work in place of the stone pines, the three arborists present rolled around pros and cons of various species that had been listed on a whiteboard. At the top of their minds was whether or not any given specimen, four decades from now, could form a canopy as lush at the stone pines once did — or close to it. 

Would it be Tipuana tipu, Afrocarpus falcatus, or perhaps Metrosideros excelsa

“The important thing for a lot of us here is the allée,” said arborist and committee chair Bruce Reed. “I’m not opposed to Tipuana, but I’d like to see something more wildlife-friendly, like the coast live oak.” 

Cheri Rae, author, historian, and one of the activists who has for years been urging the city to take action on the matter, liked that idea too. 

“I love the idea of oaks because a lot of the wildlife was disrupted when [the high school] took out all those trees [to build Peabody Stadium],” she said. 

And in the end, the coast live oak, or Quercus agrifolia, won the day. 

Slack said, if approved by the Parks and Recreation, some trees could start going in this winter. 

The Parks and Recreation Commission will consider the recommendation at its meeting on October 23.  

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