Sadly, our stately street trees are under assault. The serious drought conditions have weakened trees, making them more susceptible to disease…while recent rain and wind storms have caused a number of them to fall.
The loss of a California Sycamore on the 500 Block of North Cahuenga this week also underscored how challenging it can be to forecast which trees are in imminent danger.  According to a spokeswoman for the Department of Public Works, the tree was inspected in September and again in November 2014, at the homeowner’s request.
“There was not another service request since then as far as we can tell,” wrote Elena Stern, Senior Public Information Director, Department of Public Works in an e-mail to the Buzz.  Stern encouraged homeowners to alert the city if they are concerned about trees in their neighborhood.
“Go online to request service for a tree emergency or call using the 311 system,” said Stern.  According to Stern, the department has sufficient resources to assist with tree removal, even in this El Niño year.
“During non-storm periods emergency request response is 2 work days or less. During storms, response time is dependent upon volume,” said Stern. Sunday’s storm generated more than 1200 requests for service, with nearly 1,000 of those already addressed. Most of the remaining 200 requests were received in the last few days. “Response” is defined as securing the hazard of the tree but not necessarily the complete removal, she explained.