Oaks must go: 5 landmark trees on Folsom Blvd. will come down for Light Rail track

The city agreed this week that five landmark oak trees along Folsom Boulevard must be chopped down to make way for a second Light Rail track. The Folsom City Council voted Tuesday to support a Sacramento Regional Transit request to remove five oak trees along the scenic corridor. Oak trees in the area are on the city Landmark Tree Registry. SacRT is modernizing the Gold Line Light Rail-road, adding a second track in Folsom to improve train service from every 30 minutes to 15. The project includes a second passing track, a loading platform at the Glenn station and remodeling an existing platform for new, lower rail cars. "If the SacRT Light Rail Modernization Double Track Project is to move forward, these five oaks will need to be removed," Folsom Arborist Aimee Nunez said in her report. The five oaks are otherwise healthy and in "good condition," she said. The city established a Landmark Tree designation at the Joint Powers Authority right-of-way on Folsom Blvd. between Bidwell Street and Blue Ravine Road in 1999 to highlight the historical and ecological value of the native trees along the scenic corridor. Landmark trees are, however, still vulnerable to the saw if they stand in the way of a reasonable, approved project, but the City Council must officially remove the trees from the registry, staff said. A detailed survey of all the trees in proximity to the project area can be found in the arborist council report. Of the landmark trees surveyed, 32 will require pruning around permanent features of the project, or clearance for access during construction, staff said. Nunez explained the five oaks are within the footprint of the tracks, or are otherwise so close that the necessary pruning will likely kill the trees anyway. The forester said RT is expected to add more trees to the hit list as the project moves along in coming months. Pruning will require a city tree work permit, must be performed by a certified arborist and must conform with city standards and policies. Before construction, RT must have a tree protection zone with all landmark trees behind high-visibility fencing with weatherproof warning signs, staff said. Fencing must surround as much of the critical root zone as possible to allow work. SacRT paid the Folsom $287 application fee for declassifying landmark trees. The resolution allows RT to submit a tree removal permit and mitigation in lieu fees, estimated at $8,000. The mitigation fees go into the city's tree planting and replacement fund, used for tree planting projects, administration of tree programs and tree maintenance.