LAist: Ficus? Ficyou! Emergency Meeting to Save Doomed Santa Monica Trees Set For Tonight at 6pm

guest

Tue, 09 Oct 2007 06:33:38 -0800

Re: #11: But "non-native," when talking about trees, refers to species, and there's only one species of human--people can't really be non-native in the same way trees can. Unless you're saying that the Chumash belong to a different species than Homo sapiens? Because that'd be some old-school racism right there.

dianejwright

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 16:27:09 -0800

Thanks for posting on this. It's nice to know you read your tip mail. The protesters have won a stay of execution (for today, anyway). Stay tuned and thanks again. dianejwright http://blog.fatbrain.ca

Kulia

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 10:15:28 -0800

Wait, so you have to be a native to appreciate where you live and how to best present a particular place with a partial eye on the environment? I realize Santa Monica is not some pristine wilderness sanctuary, but the fact that the city wants to replace exotic trees with less damaging, more water friendly natives makes them laughable? P.S. We are just about all non-native.

Tony Pierce

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:36:29 -0800

i love how non native People hate non native Trees so much. so Santa Monican

Kulia

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 09:03:07 -0800

I was going to write a bit of a "are you kidding?" email but it's been done for me. I won't miss those ficus at all. Never liked them and am glad to learn in these comments how much more I don't like them (non-native, wreck sidewalks, sucks up water...) Can't WAIT to see the new trees and plants that go in.

guest

Sat, 06 Oct 2007 04:22:56 -0800

Please spare us your opinion about Santa Monica, douchebag, you'd think that the editor of a blog that wants to represent Los Angeles wouldn't be making idiotic generalizations about a part of the city (or region if you want to nitpick) he apparently doesn't know much about.

Joshman

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:30:01 -0800

The ficus trees are going to be replaced with other ---- wait for it ---- wait for it ----- trees! I don't know anything about the replacement trees, but hopefully they are not going to tear up the sidewalks, cover the ground in slick berry waste and restrict sunlight from reaching the sidewalk. Don't be an idiot and elevate these ficus trees to sequoia status. Pretty soon you are going to say that the spotted owl lives in them. Furthermore, your comments about Santa Monica are a little silly and can hardly be taken seriously. It must be fun to write such cute little sentences you big idiot. Anyway, the protests have nothing to do with the trees and everything to do with a dislike towards market capitalism and the evil third street promenade.

futureperfect

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:17:27 -0800

these hippies need to find something better to do with their time.

Adam_Rakunas

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:12:01 -0800

...and, yes. That should be Tree Savers, not Treehuggers. The ficus roots growing into my brain have undone my spelling/context centers.

Adam_Rakunas

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:09:22 -0800

You know, it's dumbass posts like this one that remind me why I don't read LAist anymore. It was worth getting an account just to say that. Ficus and palm trees aren't native to Santa Monica. They were planted by real estate developers (oh, noes! Teh Evil DEVELOPERZ!1!) and short-sighted city planners in order to create an artificial environment to convince idiots east of the Rockies to move to the edge of the desert. They don't belong here any more than turf grass lawns and all the other artifacts of East Coast suburban living that abound in SoCal. If the Treehuggers really gave a shit, they'd be pulling for installing native trees and plants. Instead, they're acting like every other selfish assclown with a cause and a bullhorn: it doesn't matter what's best, just what they want. They want their shade and canopy without having to deal with any of the costs. You want the ficus trees, Treehuggers? Great, you can start with the one in front of my house that shits its berries every summer, tears up my sidewalk, horks water from my rosemary hedge, gets into my sewer lines (which I get to pay for, thanks) and acts like the invasive bastard it is.

guest

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:29:46 -0800

Ficus? Ficyou! awesome...

Tony Pierce

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:33:15 -0800

must have perfectly smooth roads for the SUVs

guest

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 13:20:20 -0800

OMG, you loon, they're REPLACING them, one, and two, they're FICUS TREES, which are ornamental, non-native species. It has nothing to do with the Baby Gap, it has to do with responsible management of resources. Would you rather they have to repave the streets every two weeks? Because THAT'D be environmentally responsible. It's "logic" like this that makes right-wingers right about lefties. Make like a tree and shut up.

skulniq

Fri, 05 Oct 2007 12:35:02 -0800

Just to throw a horticultural slant on all this; these trees(Ficus nitida variety retusa) are horribly suited for their application as street trees as they obviously have voracious invassive root systems that perhaps only skateboarders have an affinity for. They, like their invassive counterparts Liquidambar a.k.a. Sweetgum(also planted heavily throughout the area) look especially neat, yet have no place being planted anywhere near concrete of any kind for now obvious reasons. Next time throw a nice Chinese Elm, ooh, ornamental!