Common Area and Trails

It came to the attention of our Board of Directors that some tree trimming and removal was to be conducted on the city trail adjacent and behind Lynwood Drive. You may not be aware that the trail in this area is was deeded to the city by the association when Encinitas Ranch was developed and the city has been and is responsible for all maintenance of the trial in this area. It was done so because the city felt very strongly about the trees, the trail and having control over their maintenance. They wanted to maintain the overall atmosphere of what had been originally developed.

All of us on the board are very strong advocates of the adjoining trails in our community. As stewards of the community we hear constantly from both homeowners who reside within Encinitas Ranch as well as from neighbors about the beauty of the trails and the trees. They are one of the major draws to our community. The trees have a long and storied history that merits close monitoring and preservation. When the community was originally designed, the city Planning Department mandated that the treees along this trail remain in place for aesthetic and historical reasons.

We have known since the early part of December that some work was to take place. In fact, the president and another board member specifically met with Chris Hazeltine, the city Director of Parks and Recreation on this very matter on December 3rd and at that time the board was told that only about three trees needed to be removed.

Signs were posted at entrances to this trail last week indicated the specific details of the tree removal and trimming plan. The details of the plan include removing 24 Eucalyptus and 2 Torrey Pines. Since the plan had changed significantly from what was originally communicated and seemed to be overly aggressive in terms of tree removal the president scheduled a meeting with Chris Hazeltine and Phil Cotton, the City Manager, to discuss our concerns. The president and another board member met with them last Thursday afternoon and walked the Lynwood trail back and forth. It was a good substantive discussion. I think that the board learned a lot as did they. None of us are arborists so, it was not perfectly clear why particular trees were marked to be removed. Neither the city nor the homeowners association want or like to see trees removed. However, we all understand that health and safety are of paramount concern and have to be taken into account in designing the appropriate tree removal and trimming plan. It is a fine balance between health, safety and aesthetics.

The city will also be trimming trees to remove branches that are attached to trees below the six foot level and also removing branches between trees where they are closely located together.

The board does not necessarily accept or agree with all aspects of the proposed plan but, we do understand it. We do agree that the city has the right and obligation to maintain the trees and that it should be done so in a very prudent and conservative manner. In general, trees that are marked to be removed were done for fire safety (too close to structures or other trees), safety related to structural defects (leaning, unbalanced structure or forked main branches that could case the tree to fall causing property or personal injury) or for health reasons (crowding, rot, disease or dead). Although we are not expert arborists we feel that the city has taken an aggressive approach in evaluating trees for removal.

The board made a request to the city to take a more conservative approach and not remove trees with minor problems. The city agreed to have Mike Wells, their lead arborist, and his team take another close look at each tree and see if they must remove them.

They also indicated that they will replant trees at a ratio somewhere between 1:1 and 2:1. Their philosophy in the past has been to replace two trees for each one they remove but, budget constrains may moderate that philosophy a bit. They will work with our landscaping team as soon as time permits to agree on the right species and locations. We will likely prioritize replanting trees particularly in those areas where they currently are no trees. There are at least three or four areas like that.

We welcome feedback and comments. You are free to express your own personal concerns to the city and Chris Hazeltine at chazeltine@ci.encinitas.ca.us.