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A Tree Grows in West Hollywood, With Help from the City
Photo by maximumshots via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr
A program launched in West Hollywood in 2006 devoted to helping maintain the city's historic trees is being given a second push, reports West Hollywood Patch. The program, called Heritage Tree Program, was originally formed "for the purpose of identifying, promoting awareness, maintaining and protecting designated Heritage Trees located within the City," according to its website.
But Patch reports that the program was slow to gain traction, with only six trees falling under its care in its nearly five years of existence.
Anyone can nominate a tree for the program, provided it meets the following criteria, according to Patch:
To be considered for Heritage Tree designation, a tree or shrub must be located within West Hollywood, be well kept, have room to grow, be visible to the public, have historical or horticultural significance, and be on the Southern California native tree list or at least 24 inches in diameter.
Trees can be located on public or private property, and if they gain designation as a Heritage Tree, they are inspected and pruned every four years by the city, and a representative will consult with the property owner regularly regarding appropriate pruning and ways to avoid removing the tree.
To jumpstart the program, Patch reports that the help of the Public Facilities Commission is now being enlisted, a brochure for the program is being redesigned, and the city is considering running PSAs.
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