Tree trimming crews prompt rebellion in a shady Fresno High neighborhood

Residents along a section of Harvard Avenue near Fresno High this week employed citizen democracy to delay a tree-trimming project for an elegant canopy of Chinese elms that make the neighborhood a sanctuary on blistering 100-degree days.

No giant trucks, wood chippers, or chainsaw-wielding crews for now.

“I think we won,” said Emma Hansen-Smith, who lives along Harvard between Wilson and Van Ness avenues.

“I care very deeply about them.” said a second neighbor, Quentin Sanford, of the trees.

But it turns out the trees also have fans at City Hall, who say they have nothing but the best intentions.

“We value those trees,” said Brian Russell, of the Department of Public Works.

Nevertheless, there will be no trimming until winter, something everyone agrees is healthier for them.

Sanford and his wife Laura waited years for a chance to move their family into the neighborhood. When they did, Sanford said they bought the house of Jim Stefanich, who planted the neighborhood’s first Chinese elm. The story, recounted by Sanford, is that Stefanich jumped the gun on city workers by planting a Chinese elm before the city could plant another tree variety, and then convinced workers to put Chinese elms along the rest of the block.

The Chinese elms are more than trees, Sanford feels; they bring neighbors outside, “connect the neighborhood” through the shade they provide, and make it so everyone on the block knows one another. He added a bench to his landscaping to facilitate that, as well.

So concern began to grow about a week ago, when neighbors began to see posted signs about the upcoming tree trimming project. Perhaps hyperbolically, there were warnings on the Nextdoor social media site that the trees would be “butchered.”

Some residents reacted by posting protest flyers on the beloved trees in protest.

Hansen-Smith, an environmental scientist, called it a “pretty bad idea to prune a tree in the middle of August,” when she said trees are more vulnerable to the insult of saw blades.

“We moved in here a year ago,” she added. “The big draw was the trees.”

As crews moved nearer to Harvard, Sanford took an additional step. He composed a well-documented, lengthy argument against the trimming. While conceding trimming is sometimes necessary, he said bad work could leave trees looking as though they had received a “bad haircut,” cause a “permanent spiral of decline,” or even their death. Liability, not the health of the trees, he said, was the most common reason for pruning, and he called for an arborist to be on-site during the trimming. He also asked neighbors to observe the project, and document the work with photos.

Sanford also called on neighbors to contact city officials, including District 1 City Councilmember Esmeralda Soria and her incoming replacement, Annalisa Perea.

Word got through. Perea acknowledged being alerted, and said she passed on the concerns to Soria.

Russell, of Public Works, said the city chose to honor residents’ concerns about trimming the trees during the summer heat wave.

“We said, ‘fair enough.’” In addition, Fresno firefighters drove a truck through the neighborhood and found the canopy posed no problems to any potential firefighting efforts. All along, Russell added, officials were only planning a “light trim” for the trees, and an arborist is overseeing the project.

After all, he added, ““They are some of our favorite trees in town.”