“We came to praise ficus, not bury him.”: ficus111507.jpg

Santa Monica’s ongoing ficus tree saga’s plot thickened earlier this month when tree crews with chain saws descended upon a mature stand along Montana Avenue. Contrary to the initial fears of some nearby residents, the crews came to groom the ficuses, not destroy them. Meanwhile, the city still pursues the eradication of mature ficus trees along 2nd and 4th Streets in the downtown area. In fact, many Santa Monica streets, both commercial and residential, are lined with stately ficuses. The Montana Avenue grooming should at least allay fears of a planned citywide ficus genocide. photo by Dave Quick