The Whittier City Council upheld the decision of its Parks, Recreation and Community Services Commission to remove 13 trees on Palm Avenue and deny an appeal from residents at its meeting Tuesday.

Removing the Aleppo pines paves the way for completion of the Palm Avenue Improvement Project, which began in 2016 and covers about a mile from Beverly Boulevard to Whittier Boulevard. With the go-ahead Tuesday, the Palm Avenue project should be completed within a couple of months, according to Kyle Cason, director of public works.

Council members said while it was not easy to vote to remove the 13 trees, safety and liability issues prevail.

“It’s a difficult decision to make, but to the experts’ points, these trees are a problem,” Councilmember Fernando Dutra said.

“Trees provide part of the uniqueness of Whittier,” Councilmember Mary Ann Pacheco said. “How they’ve helped create a planet is something for which I’m always grateful. But we have to balance that against how we live in an urban forest. We have a big city and we’ve created a forest within it and our responsibility is to take good care of it.”

David Montgomery Scott, interim director of Parks, Recreation and Community Services, said the project is desperately needed, especially by residents who live on Palm Avenue. The street is lined with 150 trees of different species, including 60 Aleppo pines.

“We’ve done everything to mitigate the circumstances, made over decades,” he said. “There are no more Band-Aids to heal this project. For anyone who’s walked it, driven it, there’s no more pretending that the trees in that area are not in direct and serious conflict with the environment.”

Commission chair Robert Sera said the city’s Parkway Tree Manual is “intended to provide a guide for the effective management of our urban forest, but it never really states its intent to be used for the absolute preservation of every tree.”

James Becerra, who filed the appeals with resident Conny McCormack, said the council should explore more mitigation measures.

Becerra, chair of the Whittier Historical Resources Commission and faculty emeritus of Cal Poly Pomona’s College of Environmental Design, and McCormack, former L.A. County registrar-recorder, jointly opposed removal of 10 of the 13 designated trees at a public hearing on April 16. When the commission voted on the 10 appeals together, Becerra and McCormack filed an objection, saying the commission should have voted on each of the 10 appeals because each tree involved different circumstances.

“Each tree situation needs to be individually assessed where mitigation is possible,” he said. “Support a healthy environment. Direct staff to explore civil engineering options for each tree. Your charge is to protect our habitat now and for the future. Please do not destroy these trees in an act of engineering madness.”

McCormack said there are mitigation measures available to save the trees in question, which stand within three blocks between Hunter and Monte Vista streets.

“We fully support repaving Palm Avenue but trees should be given preferential treatment compared to perfectly new curbs,” she said.

The Palm Avenue project began in 2016 and hit funding shortfalls until 2017, when the City Council assigned funds raised from the Road Repair and Accountability Act to the street. The council approved plans and specifications in 2023, awarding the construction to Big Ben Engineering on March 12, 2024.

Work began in June of that year, including new water main and services, replacement of existing sewer main, concrete repaving, curb and gutter reconstruction, curb ramps, drive approaches, sidewalk repair, and the removal and replacement of speed bumps.

In compliance with the Parkway Tree Manual guidelines and after assessment from two arborists, the trees in question were officially posted for removal on Jan. 21. Subsequently, a joint appeal from two Whittier residents was submitted during the appeal period, concerning 10 of the trees.

At the meeting, Cason reported water and sewer work is complete, as well as most of curb and gutter, sidewalk and drive approaches. What remains is work on drive approaches near the trees in question and street repairs, amounting to about a month’s delay.

Residents lined up on both sides of the issue Tuesday, with some pleading with the council to save the 10 trees and others saying the trees pose risks and safety issues.

Jenny Martin said she lived on the avenue for 20 years.

“This is my neighborhood. I have walked there with my children, walking my dogs under these trees. These are majestic trees. Think before you cut. This is your legacy. You’re cutting all the trees down and we will not forget.”

Rebecca Jimenez Pacheco said two trees in front of her home were originally designated for removal, and she’s happy the city arborist found a remedy to save one.

“I’ve lived there for 40 years, and I wish anyone who does not live on Palm Avenue would understand how we feel about these trees. I love looking out from my living room window and seeing the tree that is going to be saved,” Pacheco said. But the bumpy roads and risk of falling trees is something she would love too.

The latest chapter in the battle for Whittier’s trees, with residents decrying plans to remove trees in Parnell Park and Greenleaf Promenade.