Mystery surrounds sad Canwood trees




BARE FACTS—Evergreen elm trees between Canwood Street and the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills failed to regain their greenery this spring. If the trees are dead, experts don’t know why.

BARE FACTS—Evergreen elm trees between Canwood Street and the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills failed to regain their greenery this spring. If the trees are dead, experts don’t know why.

More than a dozen evergreen elm trees adjacent to the 101 Freeway on Canwood Street, north of Reyes Adobe Road, appear to have died, but officials aren’t sure how their demise came about.

According to Ann Burroughs, oak tree/landscaping consultant for the City of Agoura Hills, the trees are “out of leaf and may very well be dead.”

The trees are privately owned either by the Chabad of Conejo or the tenants of the Mediterranea professional buildings, Agoura Hills planning consultant Chris Dodd said.

Earlier in the year, a windstorm knocked over one tree, which was removed by the Chabad owners, Dodd said.

Although the trees are not owned by the city, Agoura Hills officials were responsible for overseeing the landscape conditions when the adjacent buildings were constructed some 30 years ago and lease agreements were signed. Dodd said he didn’t know whether the business owners planned on replacing the trees. Each business landscape plan must be reviewed to determine if the trees were listed as a condition to construct the buildings.

In the meantime, Dodd will send a letter to the owners about the condition of the trees and the possibility that the brittle limbs could pose public safety problems. Burroughs said the trees should have leaves during the summer, and she hasn’t a clue as to why they would all die at once.

Stephanie Bertholdo


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