Corona del Mar Today: City to hold meeting on eucalyptus trees

City officials are planning to hold a neighborhood meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 at the OASIS Senior Center to discuss the status of Corona del Mar's blue gum eucalyptus trees.

On Tuesday, a blue gum near Fourth and Goldenrod avenues fell over during a rainstorm, damaging two homes and four cars but causing no injuries. Last month, another blue gum along Irvine Avenue fell and killed 29-year-old Haeyoon Miller.

Arborists have been inspecting all the blue gums in Newport Beach since that accident, and any tree identified as dangerous is being removed. Within a week of the fatality, 100 trees were removed from along the Irvine Avenue median. Since then, all of Corona del Mar's blue gums have been inspected, and five trees were removed this week; read our earlier stories here and here.

Other trees may be removed pending a written report and recommendation of the arborist, according to an email sent today to members of the Corona del Mar Residents Association.

The email said that City Manager Dave Kiff wanted residents to know that the Parks, Beaches & Recreation Commission plans to schedule a meeting with residents at the OASIS Senior Center to discuss the trees and ask questions.

"This meeting will provide a good forum for both information and public comment," the email said.

Karen Tringali, president of the CdMRA, said members should take advantage of the chance to participate in a dialog about urban forestry and resident safety.

"The City is aggressively taking action to protect residents' safety in the short term while investigating longer-term solutions for appropriate tree maintenance and selection in residential areas," she said. "The City is working with CdMRA and other resident groups to make sure they are informed of their progress and have opportunities for public comment."

The meeting will be held at the Hart Events Center in the OASIS, which is located at Fifth and Marguerite avenues.

Kiff said he hoped to have a quorum of members of the Parks commission, but in case there isn't a quorum he asked the City Council to waive a quorum requirement.

"We want and need to have the public meeting," he said in an email. "We also need to act urgently — not emergently — on removing some of the trees. As such, I have had to ask Council to allow us to waive G-1 — in order only to accommodate a quorum-less PB&R. We will still discuss this with the public and ask for comments and input."

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