Last of the Giants?

Due to the Trusty BoulevarDog's ongoing ankle arthritis, Your Boulevardier and said Dog have taken to taking shorter walks. One lovely road near the home gets frequent attention on these strolls: Tanglewood Drive. If you haven't visited Tanglewood Drive, a visit is recommended. It branches off of Grove Way, near Carlos Bee Park on the Castro Valley - Hayward border.

It's a short street with a woodsy creek along one side. Homes on that side of the street are accessed via small bridges.

The opposite side of the street was once known -- some 30 years ago -- for its magnificent sycamore trees. Unfortunately, it was also constructed with narrow -- eighteen-inch, I believe -- drive strips, so the trees caused the sidewalks to buckle and raise. Over the years most of the great sycamores -- some of which were 50-70 feet tall -- have been removed. Only three remain. (Two others, pollarded, don't count in the eyes of Your Boulevardier because they have been prevented from reaching their natural height.)

This morning, Your Boulevardier noticed that the sidewalk next to two of the remaining sycamores is being repaired. The old sidewalk has been removed, and much chopping of roots is involved. While Your Boulevardier is not an arborist, he cannot believe that this treatment bodes well for the trees' long-term health. Those roots were there for a reason.

The battle over the rights of trees, roots, sidewalks, property owners, and public officials has gone on for years. Your Boulevardier fully understands the need to keep sidewalks level, smooth, and safe. But one cannot help but be saddened when the health of magnificent trees is compromised. The solution, it must be said, should have been enacted decades ago, before the trees completely devastated the walkways.