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Hi. It's Amélie Frank, poet, dutiful citizen and law-abiding homeowner. I have a eucalyptus tree that has been on our property since well before 1992, the year we moved into our home. The tree is over 3 stories tall. This past January, it became a very dead eucalyptus tree due to aridification and heat domes that hit our area last summer. This problem has killed many neighboring trees. Here are the special circumstances that make this an urgent fundraiser.
1) The tree is completely dry. It sits right at the western edge of our property, up against the chain link fence that separates our yard from the northbound 405 freeway onramp. Its branches loom over the CalTrans* right-of-way. CalTrans trimmed them back (at my request) four years ago to ensure they wouldn't fall on the freeway. Eucalyptus trees shed their bark and branches, particularly during high the Santa Ana winds.
Unfortunately, the image below's landscape orientation doesn't allow the full height of the tree below, but even the full height in the picture (another 50% of this tree is visible on the portrait orientation) still doesn't show the top. On the right is the guard rail to the on-ramp to illustrate how close the tree is to the freeway. If it fell west, it would land on the on-ramp. During rush hour, this on-ramp is predictably backed up and slow.
2) I lost my full-time job of 15 years due to COVID. I have been working part-time ever since, which covers my bills, but does not enable me to afford to cut the tree down by myself. Since January 2023, I have actively pursued multiple approaches to solving this problem.
- I applied for a home equity loan to cover the cost of removing the tree. I was turned down because my current income is way too low.
- I sought a grant from CalFire, but they aren't available to single-family home owners. You have to own a lot of land with many dying trees on it to qualify.
- I contacted my city council rep's office (alas, my rep is the disgraced and resigned Nury Martinez, so I have no rep). A staffer told me the city doesn't have funds to remove dangerous trees unless they are on city property.
- I contacted CalTrans. They do not remove dangerous trees on private property, even if a tree poses a direct threat to freeway commuters on their property. I had them come out last week to see if they could cut away any overhanging part of the tree that threatens the freeway. Their landscape specialist feared that any attempt by CalTrans to trim the tree would cause it to topple. The tree has a bulb root system, so no deep roots hold it fast to the ground. It's unstable.
- I contacted my State Assemblyman's office. They thanked me for being proactive in warning all the government offices about the danger, but could not assist me. They gave me some links to FEMA. FEMA's homeowner emergency program that might address this matter has not been active for 3 years.
- I called my homeowner's insurance. They would not help remove the tree because a tree dying and falling are "acts of God." They assured me I would not be "liable" for any damage from the tree falling over. When I asked, "What about preventing the tree from killing people on the freeway?", they didn't have an answer for me except "Yeah, your situation is bad. Good luck with it."
- I called several companies that sell firewood. They would take the tree down, but I'd have to pay them to do it. Several would hire a tree service to do it for them. They would not pay me for the wood.
- Right now, the tree will come down sooner rather than later. It can land on the freeway. It can land on the neighbors' houses on either side of my property. It can land on my house, where I live with three housemates. (We are all seniors.) Here is the tree as seen from the off-ramp of the other (southbound) side of the 405 freeway (standing behind the light post, second from left).
- We have homeless encampments in the CalTrans right of way where my tree provides shade. Last year, a homeless encampment caught fire, which spread to my backyard, killing one of my smaller trees. I still have to take that one down. The homeless sleep in that right of way several nights of the week. The tree could come easily down or drop branches on them. If they cause another fire, the eucalyptus can go up like a Christmas tree and fall. Below is my housemate Lynne standing in the right-of-way area (note debris left by homeless). The cars on the on-ramp are just a few yards from the lower fourth of the tree.
- Several tree services have given me estimates between $6,000-$8,000 to take down the tree. They have noted that the tree's death was not in any way due to negligence on my part. Having removed a large pine from our front yard 11 years ago (when I had a full-time job), I know that estimates don't include complications that crop up when a particularly large or gnarly tree is removed. In setting a goal amount of $8,700, I am also including the cost of the money that GoFundMe will take for hosting the fundraiser as well as the cost of cutting down the much smaller tree that burned last year.
- THE UPSHOT: the tree will come down at any time due to a quake, fire, a heavy wind, or its increasing instability. The tree's branches are what they call "widowmakers." They can drop without warning and crush people. My immediate neighbors are in direct danger, as are commuters, the homeless, and the people and cats who live with me. Every arborist who has given me an estimate says it needs to come down now.
I wanted to avoid Crowdfunding, hoping I'd be able to take care of this matter on my own. I've been at it for 6 weeks. It's embarrassing, but if I don't do this, nothing is going to take this tree down safely with the proper equipment and team that carries liability and workman's comp insurance. You don't hire day laborers for this gig. I did all the research and knocked on all the doors I could. I can't wait any longer, hoping the darned thing will just stay up. I have an obligation to my neighbors, my housemates, and anyone who may walk or drive by the tree at the wrong time.
I ask you to please help me raise this money so that I can get the right thing done as quickly as possible to protect everyone. As I say with every fundraiser I have overseen for other causes, even tiny donations add up, especially if you share this post with your friends on your wall.
Your kindness humbles me, and I thank you for your time and support.
Thank you, My Loves.
--Amélie Frank
*California Department of Transportation