Palm Springs narrows plan to remove palm skirts after hours of public concern

Palm Springs city council voted to approve a narrowed palm‑tree trimming policy on July 8 after an extended public hearing in which botanists, wildlife advocates and preservationists urged a more targeted approach.

The original staff recommendation would have removed dry frond skirts from roughly 2,150 California fan palms on city property, citing safety risks from falling skirts and a multi‑year record of claims. David Maccabee, director of public works, told the council that the city had recorded at least 11 claims related to falling skirts between 2019 and 2026 and recently settled a lawsuit for $100,000. He said mature skirts can weigh “up to 4,000 pounds” and that staff and the city attorney had concluded that removal in pedestrian‑intense areas would reduce public‑safety risk.

Residents and experts disagreed on the remedy. Jerry Parsons, a retired botanist, said the skirts form vital habitat and shade and urged a tree‑by‑tree approach: “If you remove the skirts, you are going to open up the sidewalks to direct sun almost all day long.” Jane Garrison of OzWit Land Trust and others recommended appointing an independent committee of wildlife and arborist experts to evaluate high‑pedestrian downtown trees before a broad rollout.

West Coast Arborist master arborist Michael Powell told council there is no reliable way to predict when a skirt will fail because the key signs are hidden inside the frond mass. Powell described failure as a sudden event that can be triggered by a range of factors and said the company supports careful, individual inspections.

Council members responded by amending the staff resolution. The measure approved by voice vote directs staff to prioritize and begin work in high‑pedestrian commercial corridors (for example, central stretches of Palm Canyon and similar downtown commercial strips) while excluding certain legacy landscapes and historic sites where the trees and their skirts are part of documented historic landscaping. The council also directed staff to:

- Require tree‑by‑tree biological inspections before any skirt removal and skip trees with active nesting; - Use landscaping, signage or other buffers in low‑pedestrian parks and wide medians where practical, instead of trimming; and - Conduct community outreach and expert consultations to shape phase‑by‑phase priorities and timing.

Maccabee told the council the program is expected to be slow and methodical, with an initial appropriation of $300,000 to begin the first phase downtown and estimated recurring annual costs likely in the $300,000–$500,000 range depending on complexity and traffic control needs.

City Attorney Jeff Ballinger reiterated that the city’s decision must balance public safety and other policy priorities and recommended clear signage and outreach to explain risk and mitigation steps to residents and visitors.

Council members described the vote as a compromise that protects pedestrians while preserving the city’s heritage and providing time for expert input. The revised approach preserves staff authority to exempt specific trees when there are documented historic or legacy reasons to retain skirts, but instructs public works to prioritize downtown commercial corridors first.

The council asked staff to return with maps, a public outreach plan and a schedule for phased implementation and monitoring.