Birthday piñatas hung from it, hummingbirds came to it, and Sabrina Weber’s family gathered in its shade. This spring, the big tree in front of her Magna, Utah, home was cut down as part of a city tree-removal project she objected to, and the agency that ran the work now says it does not plan to plant a replacement. “The City does not currently plan to replace the trees that were removed as part of this project,” Maridene Alexander, communications director for the Greater Salt Lake Municipal Services District, told KUTV in a report published Oct. 1.
Weber said she was notified on April 26 that the tree would be removed, and it was gone three days later. She disputes that it was unhealthy.
Three days from notice to removal
The Municipal Services District, which provides services to Magna, told KUTV that the city funded the project and that a certified arborist report recommended taking the tree down. According to the district, the tree had grown into the public right of way, was blocking a streetlight and was lifting the sidewalk. The arborist also noted dead branches and a possible rot pocket, and the district rated the tree high risk.
Weber sees it differently. She told the station the city had not replaced the tree as she had asked, and that the crews “did a horrible job.”…