The last chapter closed on East Anapamu’s majestic Italian stone pines last Thursday, when Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation commissioners heeded the advice of its Street Tree Advisory Committee (STAC) to confine future plantings to the more compliant coast live oak. Though the vote was unanimous, the four commissioners present acknowledged that giving those six blocks of Anapamu Street a new tree assignment was a somber milestone in the city’s aesthetic history.
And yet, decades of difficulty reining in the conifer’s unruly shallow roots, which have buckled sidewalks and asphalt, intruded into household plumbing systems, and required city workers to cut key structural roots for street repairs, was a reality they couldn’t ignore.
Arborist Duke McPherson, who serves on the city’s STAC, said the use of Italian stone pines as a street tree was a failed experiment of our early horticultural fathers.
“A real mistake,” McPherson said. “They didn’t realize the problems the roots were going to have with hardscape.”
Six supporters of the landmark trees spoke at the meeting, remaining ardently opposed to any change in designation. An appeal to the City Council is still possible. They believe modifications to enlarge the width of the tree wells, among other things, could ensure the trees’ healthy survival.
“Can anyone honestly say or document that everything has been done to ensure their majestic presence even survives much less thrives?” posited writer and historian Cheri Rae. “None have been replaced in recent memory. It seems rather that they have been left to die off without replacement until we advocates forced the issue.”
It’s hard to find a longtime Santa Barbara resident who doesn’t recall the transporting beauty of the allée, or rich canopy, the stone pines created over East Anapamu Street in the ’60s, ’70s, and even ’80s; how they knit themselves together, blocking the sun and creating a sense of an urban forest.
Since 1997, when the 79 pines that remained received historic landmark status, 33 have either fallen or been removed due to decline, age, and the effects of root pruning. Many are plagued by phytophthora, a fungal disease that infects the roots.
“When something isn’t working, there’s that old cliché definition of insanity, is to keep doing the same thing over and over again,” said Commission Vice Chair Nichol Clark. “They’re not the right tree [for] that spot.”
On October 3, the STAC debated what kind of tree might be a worthy replacement for the Italian stone pine in that location and ultimately settled on the coast live oak. Its roots go deeper, it can provide deep shade and a rich canopy, and, best of all, it coexists with sidewalks in most cases, according to city Urban Forest Supervisor Nathan Slack.
Plus, it’s native, a point cheered by Keith Nevison, director of Horticulture and Operations at the Santa Barbara Botanic Garden.
“[The coast live oak] is the single most important native plant in the State of California, capable of supporting over 400 species of caterpillars, which enhances urban biodiversity by bringing in songbirds,” Nevison said. “It’s a very abundant tree in Santa Barbara, but it’s abundant for a reason. It’s native. It’s meant to be here.”
The vote will not affect the 46 remaining landmark pines that still grace the street. They will continue to be landmarks and well cared for. But, barring a reprieve from the City Council, the species will not be an option for new plantings going forward.
“It’s kind of like speaking for the trees,” said Commission Chair Kathryn McGill before calling for a vote. “If [the stone pine] was a mammal, a big, large dog, you would be accused of being cruel for locking it up in a bathroom all day because it wouldn’t have room to grow and thrive and be its best self.”
