San Luis Obispo officials and local tree experts are trying to save a roughly century-old oak tree. The tree was slated for removal to make way for the new San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre near Monterey and Nipomo streets.
City crews and volunteer arborists began cutting back some of the oak's roots Thursday at the future theater site. The work is the first step in an effort to prepare the tree for a possible transplant about a block and a half away to Mission Plaza.
The city approved removing the tree in February after a city arborist determined it was unlikely to survive the construction of the new theater. But city officials said that plan changed when Cal Poly tree biologist Matt Ritter and other experts came forward with a possible alternative.
“Saving a tree, moving a tree this size has never been done in San Luis Obispo,” said Bob Hill, the city's sustainability and natural resources official. “We didn't think it was possible, but now we've had some folks come forward with ambition and vision, and most importantly, offering to donate and volunteer their time.”
Crews dug a trench around the tree Thursday to gently remove and cut back roots more than 20 feet long. Ritter, a Cal Poly professor and director of the university’s Plant Conservatory, said the goal is to encourage the oak to develop new roots closer to its trunk. He says a more compact roots system could eventually allow crews to lift the tree out of the ground and transport it to a new location.
Ritter says that coastal live oak trees like this one have been successfully transplanted elsewhere, but there is no guarantee that this tree will survive the process.
“I wanted to try it because I think that we had the possibility of doing it and the other option is the tree just is guaranteed to be cut down and killed and die,” Ritter said. “So we might as well make an attempt.”
Before Thursday’s root work the city soaked the ground around the tree with about 2,000 gallons of water. Ritter said keeping the roots hydrated will help it withstand damage and stress.
The next several weeks will be critical. Ritter said experts will watch the tree for signs of stress, including thinning leaves, discoloration, or branches beginning to die back. If the tree remains healthy, new roots could begin growing around its trunk.
“Over the next month we'll know that what we did today killed the tree. And I don't think that's the case. I think that we're we're we're encouraged by what we saw,” said Matt Ritter.
If the oak tree responds well, the city is considering moving it a block and a half to the lawn at Mission Plaza, near the SLO Museum of Art. City officials do not know when the move will happen.
Even if the tree makes it through the current root-pruning process, its long-term survival is not certain. Ritter said the team will have to determine whether the oak is healthy enough to withstand being lifted, transported and replanted.
