BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Members of the Sierra Club are livid that the city ignored their request to stop trimming the trees so often. They claim that without the protection of a healthy tree, our environment and air quality will only get worse as the years progress.
Trees are more than shade or scenery—they're living air filters, soaking up the pollutants we breathe every day. This Monday, Kern Kaweah Chapter members walked through downtown Bakersfield, assessing the health and vitality of our urban canopy.
Eddy Laine Committee Member of the Sierra Club said "We are trying to get the city to follow through on commitments they made. Many of us went to the city council 15 months ago. We suggested to use Fresno as our model. Fresno trims their trees every six years. What's happening here is that trees are being trimmed every year and the result is trees are dying."
Laine notes that Bakersfield currently has less than 10% tree canopy coverage, while Fresno has 14.6% coverage with a goal of 20% by 2030.
Antje Lauer Biology Professor at CSUB said "These are natural resources that we can use, we don't have to invent anything the trees are already there. They can help us fight against all these environmental threats that are getting worse and worst. We have asked the city to get serious in creating an Urban Forest in Bakersfield."
Ward two Councilman Andrae Gonzales says residents can get tangled over who owns the rights to trim. The city is carved into maintenance districts, but those boundaries only stretch so far. In many neighborhoods, the trimming rights belong to the property owner, not the city.
Andrae Gonzales Councilman Ward 2 said "Well Chester Ave is one of them. Chester Ave between Truxton all the way up to Garces Circle has a maintenance district which includes Chester ave and one block to the east and west. All of those trees are the city's responsibility. Beyond that, trees are the responsibility of the adjacent property owner."
The Sierra Club chapter is urging the city to pause routine tree trimming and reserve trimming for genuine emergencies only. Last year, 2,200 trees were trimmed from July through September at a cost of more than $225,000, and over 650 trees were removed. These figures underscore the financial and ecological weight of our urban canopy and fuel calls for a strategic rethink.
Sharon Briel Committee Member Kern-Kaweah Chapter said "This is really important if your children have asthma or family members with health issues. Bad air quality is not good for them, and that's going to affect their quality of life and life span."
Organizers hope the city will adopt measures that other cities are using to create a healthier place to live.
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