A city-owned tree in Central Stockton is posing a danger, residents claim. The flowering pear tree has been causing issues for the past two years with its limbs dropping on cars and blocking sidewalks and roadways.
“I love trees but this one is particularly dangerous,” Nancy Alders, a Stockton resident told FOX40.
The flowering pear tree on East Castle and North El Dorado Streets is a great beauty and a great danger, some residents fear.
“I’m not an arborist I just know I don’t like to see dangerous situations ignored,” Alders explained.
Alders has lived directly across from what she claims is a towering danger and said she’s seen it take out cars and block roadways within the last couple of months.
“I’ve seen the city out here cutting on it,” Stephen Hey, another Stockton resident said.
Instead of maintaining an ill-fated plant, Alders is urging the city to take action now before any of the tree’s limbs cause any great harm.
“How cost effective is it to send out city crews at least five times for major cleanup?,” Alders asked rhetorically, “Always been on cars. Unfortunately that’s not a good thing but you don’t want to see somebody get killed or injured,” she added.
City spokeswoman Connie Cochran told FOX40 their hope is to remove it within months once they nail down a company to do the work.
“City tree service just kept telling us that they have a contractor that will be removing the tree but we’ve been hearing this for a very long time,” Alders claimed.
Alders added she just wants the city to be proactive.
“You have a dangerous situation, please act,” she said.
Cochran also told FOX40 there is a waiting list for tree removal within the city, the tree on East Castle Street is slated for removal by the end of the calendar year. She said that property owners can remove trees at their own expense.