Update on San Vicente coral trees
NOMA has received significant interest and concern from our neighbors regarding the state of San Vicente Boulevard's historic coral trees and the status of the grass on the boulevard.
We have reached out to City staff and held several discussions. We are pleased to share that several City Staff members and members of our Urban Forest Task Force will present their assessment and plan at our August 4th NOMA meeting.
In the meantime, please see the letter below from Robert Castañeda, Santa Monica's Urban Forest Supervisor for more information.
INFORMATION FOR NOMA MEMBERS:
The Public Landscape team understands and shares the concerns for the Coral trees lining our iconic San Vicente Blvd. Staff arborists, including our Board-Certified Master Arborist, have been monitoring the tree condition over the years and have taken proactive steps to manage this population of trees. We understand that this is a regional problem, as many of the City of Los Angeles trees are also in poor condition.
Unfortunately, our inspections have found that this population of Coral trees is threatened by:
- Climate change, drought conditions and California state restrictions on watering medians.
- Pests of concern include Erythrina Stem Borer (ESB) and Invasive Shothole Borer (ISHB). ESB has been especially devastating on young Coral trees and has hindered efforts to replant new corals. ISHB is very concerning as it can use corals as an amplifier host tree to attack other tree species in the area.
- Poor compartmentalization of decay, which is a species trait that predisposes these trees to branch, stem and root emergency failure.
- For some trees, this is the end of their natural expected lifecycle as they approach 60+ years old.
Current work in progress:
- Park Maintenance staff are performing an irrigation audit to ensure the system on the median is functioning correctly.
- An independent tree consultant has been hired by Public Works to assess 13 trees of concern on the median. He will also be working in partnership with the tree consultant commissioned by Brentwood residents to inspect their row of median coral trees that are also showing signs of significant decline.
- Weed abatement has been completed recently by staff.
Staff have conducted public outreach on this topic and will continue to be available to answer questions.
- Staff presentations on the Coral Tree Management topic at public meetings of the Urban Forest Task Force in late 2025 and early 2026.
- Preliminary discussions on the future species designation for the San Vicente median were held at the Urban Forest Task Force’s Species Subcommittee Meeting on April 29th.
- Staff are scheduled to attend the August meeting of the North of Montana Neighborhood Association to solicit feedback on the proposed future species designation.
Level 1 assessments are conducted periodically to assess the entire population of trees and level 2 risk assessments are conducted on trees identified for further assessment.
As with all trees in our care, we approach our assessments from a standpoint of tree preservation and will only remove trees that present an unmitigable risk to the public. Proactive pruning and professional monitoring will continue to be our priority for preserving existing trees.
Before any tree removals are completed, and per the request of the Urban Forest Commission, the city will consider the report of the independent consulting arborist on the trees of concern. Once a future species designation has been decided upon with community input, the city will plan to replant new trees on the median.
I am available for a phone conversation to answer any additional questions, please email me directly at Robert.Castaneda@santamonica.gov to schedule a phone call.
Regards,
Robert Castañeda
Urban Forest Supervisor