Should heritage trees in Palo Alto be protected once they become a danger to people and homes?


Answer: Strong winds driven, likely driven by climate change,  are posing new challenges to tree protection ordinances in northern California cities like Palo Alto, California. Climate change has caused stronger winds to occur in SF Bay Area. These strong gusts, some of which can be over 60 mph, are causing large, historic trees to fall onto houses threatening costly real estate as well as peoples lives. In the city of Palo Alto, California Oaks and Redwoods are classified as heritage trees. These majestic trees grow throughout the city and for many years have been vigilantly protected.  These trees are considered part of the city's unique character and history, therefore a part of its heritage.  Heritage trees cannot be cut down without the permission of a special city governance body and getting this okay to do so is very hard if not impossible to do.  The trees are beautiful and protecting them is noble, but  in the new era of unprecedented high winds some residents are asking if  their protection should be reconsidered given the risk they present to people and their homes during a storm. 

While storms are dramatic and do cause damage, they also occur infrequently and are a natural part of life.  Heritage oak and redwood trees which take hundreds of years to grow do pose some risks to homes and people should they fall, but overall they pose an insignificant risk to humans and buildings and need to continue to be protected in order to continue to provide their many benefits to humans.