City of Los Angeles to add about 20 trees to Westwood Boulevard
The city of Los Angeles will plant trees along Westwood Boulevard to replace ones that were illegally cut in recent years. (Mischa Rajendiran/Daily Bruin)668
By Andrew Kim
Nov. 30, 2016 9:07 p.m.
The city of Los Angeles will plant about 20 trees along Westwood Boulevard between Wilshire and Santa Monica boulevards in the next few months.
Roozbeh Farahanipour, a Westwood Neighborhood Council board member, said between 80 and 90 trees in the designated area were removed, cut or vandalized in the past several years and have not been replaced.
Farahanipour filed a motion with the council in July to request that the city investigate illegal tree cutting on Westwood Boulevard and replace the trees. The motion was passed unanimously.
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority will fund the project, said Jasmine Shamolian, Westwood field deputy for city councilmember Paul Koretz. Metro previously planted about 100 mature trees in the Westwood Hills area to replace the trees it cut down while expanding a freeway. The 20 trees were purchased for the previous agreement but were not used.
Shamolian said she pushed the city to use the surplus trees in Westwood because of Farahanipour’s WWNC motion.
The city must obtain the approval of individual property owners prior to planting, Shamolian said. The City Plants department and the Los Angeles Conservation Corps will maintain the trees.
