A tree on Easton Drive in Burlingame pushes up the asphalt around it, in a photo taken Wednesday. Burlingame considering what to do with Easton Drive trees (Burlingame Daily News)

Trees blamed for causing sidewalk and road problems

"Tom" the tree is not the only towering eucalyptus that could be axed on Easton Drive. The city is studying what to do about the other trees in a six-block stretch of Easton Drive, near the Easton Branch Library. Although the problems that some of other trees have caused are not as severe as the large hump in the road that Tom's roots have created, other Tasmanian blue gum eucalyptus trees in the area have uprooted sidewalks and are jutting into the street. The city can even out the sidewalks with temporary asphalt patches, but if the situation becomes too dangerous, sidewalks have to be torn out and redone, said Burlingame Public Works Director George Bagdon. "You need a master plan (for the area), and trees are where you have to start," Bagdon said.

A landscape architect has told the city a plan could cost $44,000 to create, and it is unclear how much it would cost to implement, Randy Schwartz, Burlingame Parks and Recreation director, said. The plan could be included in the city's 2007-08 budget. "The scope of the plan will dictate the costs," Schwartz said. "I think it is something that can be done in the fall." Despite the problems, residents will not see bulldozers ripping trees out anytime soon, city officials said. "Nobody is clear-cutting Easton and starting from scratch," Schwartz said.

The plan may include replacing trees that are either dying, causing damage to sidewalks and the road, or whose limbs are in danger of falling, Schwartz said. The expansive root system of the Tasmanian blue gum is blamed for causing the sidewalk woes and — particularly in Tom's case — problems with the street. Some of the new trees in the area could include those with less invasive root systems, such as sugar gum eucalyptus and lemon-scented gum eucalyptus, on street corners because those trees are smaller and easier for drivers to see around when turning, Schwartz said. The other eucalyptus varieties look the same as the Tasmanian blue gums.

The city has already involved the public in reforesting Easton Drive through public meetings with residents and the Beautification Commission. Those meetings were held in October and last April. "I don't know how long it is going to take for these others (besides Tom) to get addressed," said Beautification Commission Member Donna Wright. "When they are deemed not safe, they should come out."

– Written by Fiona