Only the Stump Remains

The mature oak tree that fell over a couple of weeks ago was first chopped up and then removed altogether.

Only the stump remains. It will be replaced by another tree in due time.



Sometimes the trunks of fallen city-owned trees have been recycled. An example: the wooden benches that grace the eastern banks of the Arroyo Seco.

I asked my go-to certified arborist in the Parks and Natural Resources Division of the Public Works Department what was to come of the fallen tree. She told me it would be turned into mulch, and that interested people can call her about it.

Here's her info:

Darya Barar
(626) 744-3846
dbarar@cityofpasadena.net

The Cleanup of the Mighty Oak

Our hearts remain sad over the unfortunate demise of one of our 80-year-old oak trees in the City Hall courtyard.

Today it was cut up into pieces so it can be hauled away. It will be turned into mulch to help our parklands thrive.

The Pasadena Star-News ran an article this morning.

The Mighty Oak Has Fallen

The mightiest of our mighty oaks in the City Hall courtyard met with a tragic end overnight on Sunday/Monday.


One of the original oaks planted at City Hall in the 1920s, it was already in a precarious condition when independent arborists determined the trees' health during the retrofit and restoration project more than two years ago. It was decided at the time that the root system was not in good shape. We hoped it would be OK with a lot of TLC, but the saturating rains the other night made it very heavy and the high winds blew it over.

Thank goodness nobody was sitting on this bench at the time.

A crew from the Parks and Natural Resources Division of the Public Works Department will cut the tree up in the next day or two, and it will eventually be replaced with a young oak that will have plenty of spunk for the long haul.

Life goes on.