Neighbors root for tree

Shore Cliffs neighborhood residents in south Corona del Mar are doing everything they can to try to save an old coral tree that was believed to be hit by a commercial truck Friday morning.

Rows of old coral trees line the entrance to the neighborhood on Seaward Road off of East Coast Highway.

This particular tree has two large trunks that share the same root structure, and city arborists have deemed the tree an immediate risk to its surroundings because of a large crack down the middle, which could lead to the collapse of either of the trunks at any moment, they said.

The neighborhood isn’t ready to give up on the tree yet. The homeowners association is looking for an outside arborist to give a second opinion, and the city has agreed to hold off on chopping the massive tree down until that happens.

Those particular trees are an integral part of the landscape to some in the area.

“It’s one of the things I fell in love with about the neighborhood and one of the reasons I wanted to move there,” said homeowners association Vice President Kate Robinson.

Robinson has been spearheading the effort to save the tree ever since she saw police officers examining the damage while jogging Friday.

The city has already cut off many of the branches.

Robinson has contacted city administrators, City Council members and her neighbors to rally support.

“I think we should do all we can to save the darn tree,” said Mayor Ed Selich.

“They’re landmark trees. Those coral trees are a magnificent entry to that neighborhood.”

But Selich agrees with his staff that if the tree is, in fact, a hazard to people’s safety and property, it should be cut down.

He was one of many recipients of an e-mail sent by Director of General Services Mark Harmon explaining his staff’s recommendation to remove the tree.

“Because of the size, weight and opposing force between these two sections of the tree, it is our professional opinion that either trunk could break and fall at any time,” Harmon wrote.

Calls were put in to many local tree experts Monday afternoon, Robinson said, and she and the rest of the neighborhood are waiting to see if their coral tree can be spared.