Trees

I could not agree more with our earlier writers. Today I witnessed the complete savaging of what had been a remarkably lovely grove of mature crepe myrtle trees along Verdugo Avenue between Hollywood Way and Buena Vista Street — the trimming (and I use this term loosely) of which could not have done by less-talented arborists with apparently no real landscaping experience. These trees have been dismembered of more than half of their branches, and the cuts left untreated. On behalf of the many homeowners who take pride in gently trimming and maintaining the public trees in front of our properties, I am saddened that these once-beautiful trees have been ruined, and that the budget priorities of the city of Burbank appear to be so out of touch with daily reality.

Here's an introductory Q&A that will explain why you should attend the upcoming Smart Growth Forum being hosted by the League of Women Voters. The forum is from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday in the second-floor Community Room at the Glendale Fire Station, 421 Oak St., Glendale. Q: Why are there no trees in all these new housing developments that we see popping up around our towns? A: Because building codes require enough parking for all the tenants, and builders are digging below the new buildings for subterranean parking; subterranean parking makes the existence of trees impossible because there is no place for their roots.

PLANT-A-TREE PROGRAM The council unanimously voted to appropriate $15,000 to continue funding the Plant-a-Tree program. The trees will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis, and city staff will inform residents where they can plant trees based on the Street Tree Master Plan. WHAT IT MEANS The funds will allow for at least 150 parkway trees to be purchased and planted at the request of Burbank residents. The money will come from the Sustainability Holding Account, which city staff requested to keep the parkway tree program free.

Trees tumble amid high winds Glendale took the majority of damage from winds that reached up to 60 mph late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning, with multiple trees falling throughout the city. Burbank escaped relatively unscathed, with the forestry division of the Park, Recreation and Community Services Department responding to only one tree falling to the ground. Around 1 a.m., a 30- to 40-year-old tree on the 300 block of Front Street fell to the street and completely blocked the right of way. It took approximately two hours for crews to chop up the branches.

An example of city's love of development Your July 7-8 editorial "How best to protect Rancho" is an excellent primer on the formal public process of analyzing a development application in Burbank. Whether the process provides protection is questionable. Residents over a period of years have learned that it is a waste of time attending outreach forums conducted by our city staff members because the staff is there for one purpose: to sell their development program. Neighborhood protection is not their goal.

Assistance League has Festival of Trees Silver trees, silver ornaments and "Silver Bells" will set the Universal City Hilton all aglow as the Assistance League of Glendale celebrates the silver anniversary of its Festival of Trees on Sunday, Dec. 3. President Ginger Whitesell will welcome guests to this traditional family event, which features lavishly decorated wreaths, trees and holiday ornaments, made...

Gary Moskowitz NORTHWEST DISTRICT -- Leslie Krueger's concern with the environment made one particular art assignment in her senior year a tough one to do. She was given a wine box made of wood from a 1,000-year-old redwood tree and asked to replicate an existing painting on the box as a way of creating a new piece of art. The fact that redwood trees had been cut down to make wine boxes upset Krueger. What Krueger, 18, came up with earned her an Arnold Directory Art Scholarship fund of $500 that she will put toward fall semester tuition at California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland.

Before hastily firing off letters to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in support of Burbank's position on the Chandler bike path, we should carefully consider whether Burbank's plan is really a wise one ("City backs bike path," Sept. 6). After attending an excellent seminar on low-water landscaping, sponsored jointly by the cities of Burbank and Glendale, it amazes me that our city continues to look for more ways to use grass areas in it's own landscaping designs.

Molly Shore Talal Smadi was sitting in the living room of his Mansfield Drive residence Tuesday evening when he heard a noise he said sounded like thunder. Smadi walked outside to see that a huge branch had snapped off a tall Liquidambar tree in front of his home. The limb came to rest on top of his 1998 Honda Accord, which was parked on the street. The damage to Smadi's car included a large dent on the roof and scratches covering the body and rear window.