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Residents and arborists press Pasadena Unified to halt planned tree removals tied to soil remediation
Summary
Multiple residents and arborists told the board they had tried non-destructive alternatives to tree removal, described protests and physical defenses of trees, and demanded clearer, consolidated information about soil contamination and the district's removal inventory.
A string of public commenters pressed the Pasadena Unified board to stop or re-evaluate planned tree removals at several school sites and to publish clearer information linking the removals to soil remediation needs.
"I'm an arborist, and I'm one of the activists. I have put my life on hold for the last 8 weeks to stand by your trees," said Sabine Hapner, describing chaining to trees and confrontations with security and heavy equipment. "We have learned that the only way to protect our community trees from getting felled by the PUSD is to chain ourselves to these trees, to climb into them…"
Other residents and speakers raised health and quality-of-life concerns tied to dust, early morning construction, removal of mature shade trees, and questioned the accuracy of the district's tree inventory. Jennifer LaPlante, a retired technology executive, urged the board to publish "a single version of the truth" about which trees are slated for removal and whether surface contamination could be managed without wholesale cutting.
Doug Johnson's demography presentation later acknowledged soil remediation and the Eaton Fire recovery as variables in enrollment forecasting and noted the district had spared 57 trees from the original list; board members and speakers said that partial preservation was insufficient.
Speakers also raised potential legal and replacement-cost claims: one commenter estimated replacement values in the millions if large trees were cut. District staff did not announce immediate changes to removal plans during the meeting; several trustees and community members asked staff for clearer inventories and transparent decision timelines.
