Fungal-Infected Palm Trees Being Removed from Downtown Redwood City

By Bay City News Service:

A deadly fungus is killing palm trees in downtown Redwood City, prompting their removal, a city spokesman said Thursday.

Over the past few months, city employees have begun removing several of the large palm trees around Courthouse Square, Theater Way and Broadway in the city’s downtown area, Redwood City spokesman Malcolm Smith said in a press release.

The trees are infected with fusarium oxysporum, a fungus that causes the leaves to turn brown and black and can kill the trees within a few months, according to the Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program at the University of California at Davis.

“There are some obvious signs, some dropping of the fronds and things like that, but they’re essentially dying when they get that,” Smith said.

Twenty-nine palm trees were planted between 2007-2008 during a major renovation project of the entire downtown, Smith said. So far, five have been removed and another is scheduled for removal before the end of the year.

Although he did not know how the trees initially became infected, Smith said the infection spreads from tree to tree and can live in the soil even after an infected tree has been removed.

“You have to go in with a small crane - actually it’s a pretty good-sized crane - and pull it out by the roots,” Smith said. “If you don’t take them out in a very specific way, you’ll end up spreading the disease further.”

Smith said the trees cost up to $30,000 each. City staff is working to determine what can and should be done to mitigate the loss of the trees, as well as to provide aesthetic improvement after they are removed.

They are expected to bring the issue to the Redwood City Council before the end of the year to present the possibility of planting an alternative, more resilient species in place of the palms.

“The aesthetics and attractiveness of our downtown are crucial components to its success, and of great importance to the city and to our valued downtown businesses - especially in the very heart of our downtown,” Smith said.

The city is planning to hold off on pulling out more palms until after the holiday shopping season, Smith said, and do a “major” cleaning effort in early November to prepare the area for the retail rush.

“Our goal is to ensure that our downtown area is maintained to be attractive, clean, enduring, and inviting, including planting of appropriate trees and vegetation, and regular cleaning,” Smith said.

(Image via Shutterstock)