HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/27/2020 Item 8, Salisbury
Wilbanks, Megan
From:John Salisbury <
To:Advisory Bodies
Subject:650 Tank Farm Road
Dear Tree Committee. I am a lifelong farmer (pears, apples, grapes, tomatoes, etc.),
past U.C. Master Gardiner, and ISA Certified Arborist (Ret.) for thirty years. I have
looked at the project and see no reason to remove the 206 healthy carbon eating,
oxygen-producing mature trees especially when the project is bounded on two sides with
heavy vehicle traffic. Looking at the plans for the project, it appears the buildings could
be easily be realigned and save these trees.
The addition of the planned 314 "replacement" trees, along with saving the healthy
mature trees than are doomed for destruction, would make this building site a healthier
place to work and live plus add beauty to the area. I have seen too many projects where
good trees are cut down and replaced with slow-growing small trees, and even with a
maintenance agreement, are not replaced when they die mostly because no one takes
care of them nor are penalties assessed. In several cases, they aren't even planted, or
certainly not according to plan, in the first place.
An example is the wiping out mature Heritage qualifying Live Oak trees along the north
side fence of SLO High School to make way for new classrooms that could have easily
been moved further south, aligning with the old Gym, thereby saving these majestic
trees. To date, there have been no promised replacement trees planted on the campus.
That includes along most of the fence which now has concrete and asphalt right up
against the fence.
Please save these trees. It is becoming a joke that San Luis Obispo is recognized as a
Tree City USA for 37 years when developers seem to be able to have their way of
knocking down trees in town. For this project on Tank Farm Road, this is a classic "A
bird (tree) in hand is worth two in the bush".
John Salisbury
deltajohns@yahoo.com
P.O. Box 400
Avila Beach, CA 93424
805-471-3111
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