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Arbor Day public comments press Glendale council to strengthen tree protections after developer clears mature trees
Summary
During an Arbor Day proclamation, residents told the City Council they were alarmed at recent tree removals at Glendale Garden Homes and urged the mayor and council to consider emergency tree protections, a revised ordinance, or a charter amendment following the city's limited authority over private property removals.
Public comments filed during an Arbor Day proclamation on May 6 pushed the Glendale City Council to consider stronger protections for mature trees after residents said a developer removed more than 40 trees at Glendale Garden Homes under new high‑fire‑hazard mapping.
At the meeting's public comment period, Alan Disch said the city’s inability to prevent the tree removal set a troubling precedent and urged the council and Mayor Ara Najarian to consider an amnesty, a revised charter or an ordinance modeled on Pasadena that would preserve the urban canopy. “We must … safeguard nature,” Disch told the council.
Alan Durham, another speaker at the Arbor Day item, said he had attended a city‑sponsored meeting about the tree removals and was told city authority is limited: except for protected species, the city cannot prevent tree removal on private property even in newly designated high fire hazard zones. Durham said the Glendale Fire Department had determined the trees presented a fire hazard in the newly designated high‑fire area and that the tree removal followed that determination.
Why it matters: Multiple speakers said rapid clearings of mature trees can accelerate heat, reduce shade and undermine longer‑term climate and fire‑resilience goals. Speakers asked the council to consider policy changes that would allow stronger city intervention on tree removals on private property.
Officials’ notes: Lauren Click, Glendale urban forester, and Daniel Hargrove, assistant director in public works, presented the proclamation and highlighted that Glendale marked its 74th Arbor Day and that the city retained its Tree City USA designation. The city also invited residents to participate in an upcoming tree‑planting and a tree‑care forum.
Next steps: Durham said the Sustainability Commission will consider the issue going forward, and both speakers urged the council to take up the matter for deeper policy review. Council members did not vote on any ordinance or resolution at the meeting; public commenters asked for emergency protections or a new ordinance to be drafted.
Clarifying details: public commenters said the developer removed “over 40” mature trees at the Glendale Garden Homes site; the city’s current authority, as described by commenters, allows the city to prevent removal only for protected species and to require brush clearance where required in high‑fire zones; the Sustainability Commission is expected to consider tree protection policy.
Ending: Council members acknowledged the public concern and referred the matter for further review; the council did not adopt new rules at the May 6 meeting.
