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Resident criticizes reversal on Library Park tree; commissioner asks for ban on nonnative plantings
Summary
A resident urged the commission to restore a previously approved California native tree at Library Park, criticizing a subsequent reversal that selected a Norfolk pine; Vice Chairperson Kelly Watson asked staff to place a proposal on a future agenda to stop planting nonnative trees citywide.
A resident told the Recreation and Parks Commission she was disappointed the commission reversed an April decision to install a California native at Library Park and instead selected a Norfolk pine.
Barbara Boland, a master gardener who identified her address as 637 Whiting Street, said she was “disappointed at the reversal of the vote to install a California native tree at Library Park” and said the originally chosen longleaf maple (a native) is not available. She urged the commission to give “due consideration to the collective efforts of committee members” and said introducing native plants “is not just about the size and shape, but it is about the importance of expanding the natural habitat to all manner of species that gravitate towards it.”
Later in the meeting Vice Chairperson Kelly Watson asked the commission to place an item on a future agenda that would prohibit planting nonnative trees in El Segundo. Watson said she would “love it if we could bring a motion to this body that says that we no longer plant any non native trees in El Segundo” and requested staff supply information for a future conversation about planting on boulevards and other public parkways.
Staff did not take formal action on planting policy during the meeting. The discussion combined a public comment expressing disappointment about a specific Library Park decision with a commissioner request to explore broader policy changes; no vote or formal policy was adopted.
Clarifying details captured in the meeting: the April vote had selected a native “longleaf maple” that staff later said was unavailable, and Library Park’s replacement selection was a Norfolk pine (described by the resident as “not a pine”). The resident identified herself as a master gardener with expertise in Southern California native plants and urged the commission to consider species that support local habitat.
The commission did not schedule a date for a policy proposal; Kelly asked staff to return information and the issue was placed on the list for future discussion.
