Last Friday morning, city workers removed a tree on Larchmont at approximately 141 N. Larchmont Blvd. Apparently, the city determined that the tree was diseased after it was inspected…and it was summarily removed, taking a lot of people by surprise.
According to Heather Boylston of the Larchmont Business Improvement District (BID), the city didn’t give the organization any notice that it was removing the tree. Boylston told the Buzz she had asked the city to inspect the tree on the advice of an arborist, who noted there was a large amount of fungus at the base of the tree. According to city’s website, the request for inspection was filed on March 9. When the city came to inspect on April 21, they removed the tree at the same time.
“The tree needed to be removed, but I am very surprised that they did not let us know ahead of time,” said Boylston.
The need to remove trees on Larchmont has become a topic of discussion since the BID recently proposed removing and replacing the trees on the street.  The trees have damaged adjacent sidewalks, creating what some say are unsafe conditions as well plumbing problems, causing sewage backup for some of the retailers.
Coincidentally, earlier in the week, the Windsor Square Association issued a letter saying it would only support the removal of dead, diseased or dangerous trees and urging the BID and the Larchmont Business Association to come up with a comprehensive plan to preserve Larchmont’s tree canopy in consultation with the neighborhood, the LBA and the City’s Urban Forestry Department.  The plan would also include ongoing maintenance for the trees, something some have suggested has been lacking and has caused some of the current tree problems.
Inquiries about what will replace the newly removed tree, and when, were not responded to in time for this article…but the Buzz will publish any updates.
And why does Boylston think she needed advance notice of the tree’s removal? When the city is able to come inspect and remove on the same visit, consider yourself lucky.