Damaged coral tree will fall

Newport Beach officials calmed the Shore Cliffs neighborhood about the removal of an old coral tree Tuesday after they got a second opinion from an arborist saying there was no way to save it.

Shore Cliffs Property Owners Assn. members were upset Monday when they saw city workers cutting down the tree at 320 Seaward Road so they protested to city leaders who let the homeowners association bring its own arborist in to examine the tree. The arborist concurred with the city’s assessment so the work to remove the tree continued. The tree was damaged Friday when a truck struck it.

“I’m positive we’ll replace it with another tree,” Mayor Ed Selich said. “Now we just have to figure out how we can get the largest-sized tree in there. From a cost standpoint, it’s not cheap.”

Kate Robinson, vice president of the property owners association that led the charge for another examination of the tree, was satisfied with how the issue was resolved.

“I felt saddened we lost such a big, old tree, but I did the most I could to save it and I feel good about that,” she said. “And I feel good the City Council was so responsive and will be more aware of these issues in the future.”

City officials said they understood the concern of neighbors who felt they weren’t given a heads up about the removal of the tree.

“Folks there in Shore Cliffs love their trees, and rightfully so,” Selich said. “It’s a dramatic entry to their neighborhood.”

City officials said they will work harder to let the neighborhood know if they have to remove another tree.