Norse Way's Ficus Removal Implemented

Historically striving to be Tree City U.S.A., Long Beach loves its trees. Except for two ficus varieties, that is. Since 2015, there has been a little-noticed municipal ficus removal program in Long Beach.

Which pretty much describes what has been observed at several Norse Way locations. Though not officially noted, this removal program was implemented on 28 ficus trees through a grant from the city’s Economic Development Department.

As of July 20, the last of the trees had been taken out, roots ground up, trucks gone, shade only a memory, just in time for a record-setting heat wave.

Business owner Debbie Ziegler of the Picket Fence definitely missed the shade, but noted, “The trees had to come out. Berries would stain the sidewalk, people would track in leaf debris. We couldn’t keep up with it.”

“We got a four-day notice.,” said Ziegler of the Norse Way ficus removal. “It’s completely different; its charm is gone.”

According to Long Beach Economic Development Officer Seyed Jalali, the Norse Way project is one of three business corridor improvement programs for which $450,000 of one-time funds was voted by the City Council. The other two are on Anaheim Street and Pacific Avenue.

Outreach for the program began in January 2018 and money was put aside in March 2018. City staff and Fifth District Councilwoman Stacy Mungo began attending business meetings of the newly formed, yet-to-be-chartered Norse Way Village Association (NWVA) where, according to Jalali, there was strong support for the improvement ideas.

Real estate broker and past president of the NWVA, James McCormick, owner of Sunbelt Properties, said the ficus trees have been an issue for at least eight years, when then Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske met with business owners about problems with the trees with very intrusive root systems, impacting both foundations and plumbing, causing thousands of dollars of damage. At the time, the trees were trimmed and “the sidewalks were ground down to where they couldn’t be ground down anymore.” At the time, “walking down the sidewalk, could mean tripping on your face.”

The idea of the improvement is to increase the customer base and property values and includes façade improvements and signage. In the case of Norse Way, apart from tree removal which is needed for sidewalk replacement, “public realm improvements” that include crosswalks, festoon lighting, trash can placement and tree replacement.

Replacing curbs that don’t meet ADA requirements and upgrading sidewalks with damage caused by the ficus trees, might allow for sidewalk dining. Though there won’t be any sidewalk widening, tree removal will accommodate diners.

The improvements are also a response to an ADA access lawsuit, which resulted in a very large settlement. Fifth District Field Deputy Kyle Henneberque said part of the settlement was that “over the next 20 years, the city is going to have to fix all those sidewalks.”

As Norse Way is used as a shortcut between Lakewood Boulevard and Carson Street., according to Project Manager Eric Romero, who said installation of bulb-out crosswalks, an extension of the curb to improve the pedestrian experience, as well as posted speed limit signs, might help calm traffic.

Owner of Vintage & Such, Bill Booth recalled, “Mungo held a big meeting almost a year ago. She wanted us to form an association so we could get things done, Apart from “our street getting strangled by the trees, the big thing was beautification. The trees hadn’t been maintained, you couldn’t see the street lights. The idea from what I understand, trees go, the sidewalk gets fixed, then new trees go in. Stacy will meet to discuss what trees to put in. It was voted to put them in big boxes where people could sit and we could move them around.”

Possible replacement trees include the crape myrtle tree, chaitalpa tree and another variety that drops berries, giving it an outside chance to be selected.

With a 2,094 ficus trees in Long Beach, “the only species of concern are ficus benjamina and ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’” according to Romero. Of the ficus benjamina, The United States Forest Service states “Roots grow rapidly, invading gardens, growing under and lifting sidewalks, patios, and driveways.” The ficus microcarpa grows in walls of buildings, bridges, highways and concrete structures.

Apart from Norse Way, there are clusters of ficus in various other residential neighborhoods and at Parkview Village. The fate of those trees is not known.

Removal of ficus for residents from parkways depends upon an inspection, which determines size, structural health, stability and probability of failure. According to Romero, “The plan is to remove all or most of the ficus benjamina and ficus microcarpa ‘Nitida’ within a 10-year period, with a cap of 50 per year, no more than 50 percent of a block within a three-year period.”

As far as Norse Way is concerned, according to Economic Development’s plan, the timing of the improvements is an attempt to pick up on the momentum of the success of nearby Douglas Park, making it attractive to new and existing businesses through improving aesthetics.

To see how Norse Way looked in the pre-ficus removal days, go to www.google.com/maps and add a street address.

steve@beachcomber.news