Arborist questions logic of SFPUC's fears about pipeline damage from oak tree roots

This is good news. Just have Barrie Coate personally guarantee and personally pay for damages when it fails. He seems to be overstepping his boundries for the City of Saratoga, isn't he? These delays are costly. Plan 5-10 new trees and get on with it.

Barrie Coate is an arborist of world renown. He is certainly not "over-stepping" in his report! He has consulted with cities, counties and national organizations, corporations, museums, and so forth in his long career. I have personally engaged his services in creating a plan to rescue and preserve 40 second growth redwoods on private land.

As an attendee of the meeting between the SFPUC and the neighborhood coalition where these issues were discussed, I would like to share some facts related to what took place.

1) The costs for each option being considered are approximately the same. This is from Joe Ortiz, the Project Manager for the pipeline project.

2) The discussion surrounding the fate of this tree is NOT delaying this water project. Water for this system cannot flow until at least September of 2012 because of a 4M tunnel being installed in another section of the pipeline. Again, from the PUC's project manager.


As for the COSTS of each option related to this tree, here is how they need be compared in order to be truly accurate:

1) tunneling under the tree and inserting the pipe
2) moving the tree to another location and trenching and laying the pipe
3) cutting the tree down and trenching and laying the pipe

Specifically on the cost the PUC mentioned on Thursday ($260,000), the tunneling option included everything. The "removal" option only included cutting the tree down and taking away the wood - it did NOT include the trenching and pipe laying that completes the picture. Nor did it include the value of the tree, which was objectively established at $56,000 back in 2008. So $40,000 (as reflected in a recent article) would not be anywhere near the actual cost of the removal option.

Within two weeks a complete (and corrected) version of the costs associated with each option will be made available; the PUC is getting estimates for various pieces that will fill in the puzzle. Until then, no decision will be made. Part of that decision will include professional recommendations from several arborists, one of whom is the highly respected Mr. Coate. The other is Mr. Levison, with whom Mr. Coate has worked previously (and who wrote an initial report for the SFPUC also recommending preservation by tunneling).

We remain confident that the facts will show the way to whatever decision makes the most sense.

Barry Coate is a reknowned arborist with a stellar reputation in assessing trees/plants suitability for their environment. I have used his services and am very impressed with his credentials
ls and expertise. If he says that the tree would survive, we should accept his evaluation and save it. Why take down such a beautiful tree if it can remain?

It's refreshing to see a city employee and licensed professional (regardless of what city employs him) have the "cojones" to speak out and put his professional reputation on the line regarding this tree.
As most residents don't know, until about a month ago (when he was demoted) Menlo Park's city arborist for years was not even a licensed arborist. I wonder how many decisions on heritage tree removal were made incorrectly during his tenure with the city (and, I wonder if he retires with 90% of his top salary)?
Kudos to Mr. Coate!

Mr. Coate has not been the Saratoga city arborist for several years now. He is a well respected horticulturalist with his own consulting business.