Posted on 09/15/2005 8:14:37 AM PDT by calcowgirl
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles International Airport will spend $200,000 to uproot and replant dozens of palms trees that it illegally planted around the airfield five years ago.
"We are delighted that they're following through, to right the wrong that was done," said Travis Longcore, science director of The Urban Wildlands Group, which first challenged the project. "We're very happy that it's moving forward."
LAX officials expected the 92 Mexican fan palms would spruce up a grungy stretch of land just outside the airfield's chain-link fence.
But some nearby residents complained that the tall palms blocked ocean views. The Urban Wildlands Group claimed they were illegal, nonnative vegetation that was put in without a required state permit.
The California Coastal Commission ordered the airport to remove the trees, agreeing they could threaten the plants and animals in the nearby dunes, which are a refuge for the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly.
The Board of Airport Commissions approved the removal expenditures this week.
Contractors will pluck out the trees in the next few months and install them among the landscaping in the airport's central terminal area. Officials said the work should be complete early next year.
Removing each tree will cost more than $2,000 because cranes must be used to pull them from the ground.
Haven't they heard of chainsaws?
Betcha one of Villaraigosi's buddies get the contract...
JHC
Let's see -- your tax dollars to buy and plant palm trees, then your tax dollars to unplant those trees...and NO ACCOUNTABILITY...oh, let me guess...
"Removing each tree will cost more than $2,000 because cranes must be used to pull them from the ground."
This writer needs to get a clue.
You don't 'pull' trees from the ground. You dig around them to expose the root system and then 'lift' them up out of the hole.
Otherwise you would just kill them.
But some nearby residents complained that the tall palms blocked ocean views. The Urban Wildlands Group claimed they were illegal, nonnative vegetation that was put in without a required state permit.
The Garbaged spewed to get their way:
The California Coastal Commission ordered the airport to remove the trees, agreeing they could threaten the plants and animals in the nearby dunes, which are a refuge for the endangered El Segundo blue butterfly.
Spot on!
BTTT
I'll do it for half the price with my axe.
Just growing in the shade where American trees don't want to grow.
THese trees to begin with cost a fortune. You dont just grow them from a little tree in place.
---scratching head---
Planting palm trees outside the airfield is bad, but planting them at the air terminal is good. How does this make them any less threatening to the "El Spanish named Blue Butterfly?"
Read...I am rich...you are stupid here is some money for your granola.org to help me protect my view. It never ends in LA.
Money talks and the enviromental movement sells out to LA/Hollywood every day.
Illegally planted... Mexican fan palms ...
Illegals are sprouting up everywhere.
Actually Mexican fan palms are amazing plants. You can in fact just "pull" them out of the ground and then replant them. They have a very small root system.
There are palm tree brokers who will drive around SoCal and when they see a nice clean, tall fan palm they will offer the homeowner anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand for the tree. They bring in a crane and just pop it out of the ground. The trees are then resold to developers for shopping malls and new developments.
I always used to laugh when I'd see guys out with chain saw taking them down (which is damn dangerous anyway) when someone might have paid them to take it out.
I googled it. Mexican fan palms go for $50 bucks a foot--plus installation.
They probably spent a half million putting them in, and now will spend another quarter million removing and replanting them.
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