CONSULTANT GOES OUT ON LIMB TO RESCUE TREES.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

WOODLAND HILLS - In an attempt to save Canoga Avenue's beloved California pepper trees, officials will remove 39 diseased and damaged specimens as soon as possible, replacing them by early summer.

Protected as a historic cultural monument by a city ordinance, the trees, part of a grove of 169, will be replaced with either healthy, young pepper trees or other, hardier species.

Called in by the city to assess the state of the trees, consulting arborist Robert Wallace spent considerable time measuring fungus, yanking on limbs and climbing trunks to determine the best course of action.

In a meeting held by Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski, he revealed his findings to an anxious crowd of homeowners.

``I leaned way over backwards to minimize the number of trees to be removed,'' Wallace said.

``I recommended that 39 should be removed as soon as possible. They're all equally dangerous because someone could be killed, or a car could be crushed.''

Given the trees' beloved status, this has been a sensitive issue.

At the meeting, numerous residents voiced their opinions on how to best manage the tree removal.

Though passions ran hot as locals weighed in on how to best handle the removal without damaging local aesthetics, a general consensus emerged to work together to protect the replacement trees.

``Homeowners have no idea how valuable these trees are and how to protect them,'' said Ila Sachs. ``We can help, but if we don't know how to maintain them, we'll be the ones destroying them.''