Peninsula resident creating task force to tackle tree removal
"Redwood trees are wonderful in the forest, they don't belong in a tight urban neighborhood," LeMieux said.
MENLO PARK, Calif. (KGO) -- In Menlo Park, some residents are getting frustrated with the process to remove trees that pose a hazard. So, one woman is taking matters into her own hands.
During Tuesday's wind storm, Kimberly LeMieux watched from her home office as an 80-foot redwood tree came crashing down in her backyard.
"It was terrifying to be sitting right there 30 feet from where that tree came down knowing that it could've been any one of those trees over there," LeMieux said.
Her property sits between an acre with 100 trees on one side and 48 on the other.
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"I think what crossed my mind is what's been on my mind for 20 plus years, that is - these trees don't belong here," LeMieux said.
For years, she's been vocal about large trees that are not healthy or unstable in neighborhoods.
"Redwood trees are wonderful in the forest, and they belong in cold foggy climates, they don't belong in a tight urban neighborhood," LeMieux said.
At one point, LeMieux served on the Menlo Park Heritage Tree task force to help simplify the process of applying for a tree removal permit. But she says now large trees are protected by strict city ordinances so she's creating a task force of her own.
"So I am organizing a group of Menlo Park citizens who have the same concerns that I do and we're going to take it to the city council," LeMieux said.
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She hopes the city will listen.
"I think times have changed. I think people now realize with the climate change, and the drought considerations, that we need to be much more cognizant of the kind of landscape that we plant," LeMieux said.
You don't have to drive far in the Peninsula to find tree crews continuing to clean up from recent storms.
During last Tuesday's storm, two trees came down in Shirley Chiu's backyard in Menlo Park.
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"The fence was lifted up like in the air and I didn't notice the tree until I came out, and luckily they went down sideways along the fence," Chiu said.
A year and a half ago, she was granted permits to remove three diseased trees following a six-month process.
"My neighbor's house, they were a lot closer to the trees then mine. And I worry about their safety and you know their kids, and their pets and then their property," Chiu said.
She's not taking any chances now. Chiu said after some convincing, the City of Menlo Park granted her emergency permits to get two more removed.
"Let us cut it down and keep everybody safe and if you want me to plant something else, I'll plant something else," Chiu said.
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