UC Berkeley Suspends Tree Felling for "the Holidays"

As MC has informed us, Zachary Running Wolf, long-time environmental activist, climbed one of the acacias scheduled for removal. This prompted UC police Captain Beckford to provide a signed statement promising a suspension of the tree removal for "the holidays."

The public notice posted on the orange fence blocking off a perimeter around the trees deems the acacias "structurally weak." However, according to activists, UC representatives claimed yesterday that the trees were diseased.

The same public notice also states that the need for the trees' removal was ascertained by "UC Berkeley and consulting arborists." Yesterday, I sought the report of these presumably third-party arborist consultants.

The UC Police Department office staff had no knowledge of any consulting arborists' report and directed me to the Office of Risk Management. Again, the staff at the Office of Risk Management had no knowledge of a consulting arborist's report, but one staff member found an email regarding the case on his computer.

This man, who will remain anonymous, said that it was a lawyers email, and he could not share it with me. He did inform me, however, that the UC did not hire any contract arborists, but that the University's own tree crew had made the determination about the acacias.

The Risk Management staff member called the head arborist, Phil Cody, but received no answer. The staff member took my contact information and said that he would have Mr. Cody give me a call.

This morning, I attempted to call Mr. Cody with the number provided on UCB's web directory, but it was an invalid number. I also suspect that the email of "malone [at] berkeley.edu" is also incorrect.

I will continue in my attempts to view the arborist's report, so that the public may have knowledge of the data supporting the decision to remove the acacias.

(In correction of my last post, the acacia on the west end of the park fell of its own accord on December 2nd).