Nora Doyle said she is sad to see a big beautiful tree more than 70 years old in her Silver Triangle neighborhood come down. The tree was removed to widen a driveway by two feet.
She recently was concerned about a tree on Cantura Street in a neighborhood of Studio City that is known for its large trees.
"The neighborhood didn't like it, we didn't know it was going to happen and it's just very sad," Doyle said. "We are extremely upset."
Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Krekorian's office heard some of the complaints and checked it out. The property owners were building a new driveway and took out a permit with the Bureau of Engineering. The Urban Forestry Division of the Bureau of Street Services issued a permit to remove one London Plane Tree (which is a type of Sycamore).
An inspector with Urban Forestry inspected and issued the permit last week on June 14. He said that a tree had to be removed because the property owner must expand his driveway six feet to the east.
The tree could not be relocated due to its size and age. According to Urban Forestry, the Sycamores in the area are not native and the inspector thoroughly explained the permitting process to the resident, according to the councilmember's office.
Lisa Sarkin, vice president of the Studio City Neighborhood Council, said there are certain types of trees protected by city law. They are:
* California Coastal Live Oak
* Black Walnut
* California Sycamore
* California Bay Laurel
Click here to see pictures of those kinds of trees in the photo gallery.
But, Doyle said it is still a tragedy that the 60-foot majestic tree can be chopped down just to make room for more cars.
"It was a magnificent tree, and now it's gone," said Doyle.
See the before and after photos taken by Doyle in the photo gallery above.
