Sacramento Plan To Remove 51 Trees Near Downtown Convention Center Leaves Advocates Frustrated

Sacramento plans to remove 51 trees as part of its $350 million expansion of downtown’s Convention Center and Community Center Theater — a move that’s leaving some residents concerned about climate change and losing a piece of the “City of Trees” canopy.

The city plans to replace the 51 trees, which total 679 inches in diameter, according to staff, with 80 new trees at 216 inches. But at Tuesday’s City Council meeting, members of advocacy group Trees for Sacramento argued that many of the elms, maples, pines and crepe myrtles can be saved.

"Even though you replant, it can take decades to get an equivalent tree, and the climate scientists are now telling us that we have like a 12-year window to make massive turnarounds,” said Trees for Sacramento member Karen Jacques.

Council is required to approve all tree removals for city projects. The plan passed with Councilmember Angelique Ashby casting the lone vote against.

She argued that getting rid of trees sends the wrong message. “Either we’re a city that’s trying really hard to address climate action or we’re not,” Ashby said, adding later that she wants to see the city “do what we can to protect any of the 51” slated for removal.

Some of the trees near the Convention Center have public-safety concerns or defects, and several are healthy but need to be removed to make the project happen, according to city staff.

Councilmember Steve Hansen proposed spending $150,000 on additional trees citywide. The city currently has $250,000 in its tree-planting fund.

Advocates initially were concerned that the city planned to remove 96 trees at the Convention Center location, due to a staff report published last week that counted shrubs and plants in addition to the 51 trees. Staff corrected that number at Tuesday’s meeting.

Arborist and Trees for Sacramento member Dan Pskowski noted at the meeting that the existing trees at the Convention Center were mitigation during construction of the original Convention Center: Before it was built in the late ’90s, redwood trees dotted that area, he said.

“We planted these trees and now, you know, almost 20 years later, starting to get some canopy back, and now they’re being cut down,” Pskowski said.

Mayor Darrell Steinberg voted to forward the plan, but urged staff to embrace conservation.

“Save the trees, man, save as many as you can, and replace more than what is required,” he said at the meeting.