Some Sherman Oaks Residents Fighting Plan To Cut Down Rare Tree
SHERMAN OAKS (CBSLA.com) — Some Sherman Oaks residents are fighting a plan by the city of Los Angeles to cut down a rare tree.
Dozens of neighbors have come together to try and save the Silver Maple tree that has been in 14000 block of Emelita Street for more than a century.
"This tree is the last of Silver Maples that lined Emelita Street. This is over 100 years old. And it's very special to this community," Carol Rippy said.
Rippy has lived on Emelita Street for 20 years. She said the city wants to remove the maple because of complaints over thousands of bees that call the tree home.
Rippy, who said neighbors want the tree and the bees to stay put, shot cellphone video of what she said was one of nine city visits to the tree.
"If they see bees, they want to just go ahead and cut the tree down…because it has holes, and there are bees in it, so they just cut them down because it's easier that way," Rippy said.
Resident Vance Wells said the bee complaints came from one person.
So far, Wells said the city has already been out to exterminate most of the bees, which is something he isn't happy about.
"I was upset enough about that to install a swarm of bees in my backyard and start a hive of my own, so there would at least be some pollination going on locally," he said.