Here's an interesting story we overlooked from a few days ago. Only in a city like Pasadena would officials be concerned with raising $5,000 a pop to replace dying palms. The historical argument is convincing. But I just don't see this ever happening in those other parts of the San Gabriel Valley, where monopines are the way to go.

Iconic palms slowly dying off
Funding to replace trees along parade route falls short
By Janette Williams, Staff Writer
Article Launched: 02/20/2008 10:55:41 PM PST

PASADENA - Now they're hitting 100, the stately palms lining a portion of the Rose Parade route are showing their age.
They've been slowly dying off, falling victim to pink rot and diamond scale, among other diseases. A dozen or more of the trees, known botanically as Washingtonia filifera, have been recently removed because the city classified them as dead, decaying or dangerous.

But most of the dead fan palms, part of the original plantings from the turn of the 20th century, haven't been replaced, and aren't likely to be any time soon. The city doesn't have the funding to do it.

So, unless some private donors can be persuaded to pony up $5,000 per palm, the historic Orange Grove plantings may gradually disappear over the next decade, said Darya Barar, project coordinator for parks and natural resources in the city.

"I love the palm trees on Orange Grove, I've always seen the street as palms and magnolias, Barar said. "But my job is simply to maintain the urban canopy."

No donations toward replacing the palms have been received yet, Barar said. "A few people were interested, but at this rate we won't get any planted any time soon."

Because of a funding quirk, grant funds can be spent only on planting or replacing street trees that increase the city's environmental "shade canopy," and palms aren't shade trees.

Plans for a city partnership with Pasadena Beautiful - guardians of the city's street trees since 1960 - to raise money for the palms are "not ironed out," President Emina Darakjy said. She declined to comment on any plans to funnel donations through the nonprofit group.
Historically, the planting design for Pasadena's Millionaire's Row, that includes the Rose Parade route, was for alternating palms and magnolia grandifloras lining both sides of the street.

"Personally I think it's a very important design statement," said Peggy Stewart of the the Pasadena Garden Club, some of whose members have been disturbed by the gradual disappearance of the palms.

"I think in a city like Pasadena, that (values) both tradition and design, we ought to find the money," Stewart said. "No one has had time to think and make a workable plan ... We see the palm trees going down, we know they've been diseased and so forth, but I personally was assuming they would put the palm trees back in. What is going on here?"

The West Pasadena Residents Association would be "very supportive" of replacing the palms, said Vince Farhat, a longtime member. "I think trees are an important part of this streetscape," he said. "It's recognizable by people in community and people watching the Rose Parade ... the two lines of those types of trees made part of the history of the city."

Barar said between 15 and 20 palms have been removed, and five were replaced with relocated palms.

"But even when the magnolias are too close to plant another magnolia, there will still be room for a palm," she said. "There will never not be enough space, there will always be a place for the palms. It's a question of money."