Palm Springs-based nonprofit to oppose city’s proposed palm tree trimming

PALM SPRINGS (CNS) - A Palm Springs-based nonprofit organization focused on protecting local wildlife and wildlife habitats urged the city today to reject a proposal to remove more than 2,000 dry fronds from city-owned palm trees.

According to a proposal going before the Palm Springs City Council on Wednesday, city staffers are calling for the removal of dry fronds, otherwise known as skirts, from California fan palms located in pedestrian areas to eliminate potential risks to the community.

A skirt can potentially injure pedestrians or arborists when they fall, since skirts can weigh more than 1,000 pounds, according to the staff report. Additionally, roof rats and cockroaches are known to nest in palm tree skirts throughout Southern California, posing health risks since they both can carry serious diseases, according to the report.

If the proposed resolution moves forward, the city's roughly 2,150 California Fan Palms -- under the classification of Washingtonia filifera and Washingtonia robusta -- will be removed of skirts, fruit pods and trunks over the next four years at a cost of $300,000.

Oswit Land Trust officials, however, called on the council to adopt a ``tree by tree management plan,'' instead of a ``one-size-fits-all policy.''

The nonprofit stated that palm trees house numerous types of birds, insects, reptiles and rodents, and the removal of the skirts could disrupt a healthy ecosystem and permanently alter one of the city's defining features.

Nonprofit officials said the staff report does not mention the palm trees' advantages to wildlife, saying in part that ``it largely emphasizes potential risks associated with rodents while giving little consideration to the ecological benefits of palm skirts or the wildlife that depends on them.''

The nonprofit also contends the city has not conducted any public outreach or workshops on the issue, noting that the matter was first brought forward as an agenda item in July 2024.

As an alternative, the organization recommends the city trim trees on a ``risk-based approach,'' in which it would focus on trees if a risk or concern arises, leave trees in their natural state in places without high pedestrian traffic, only trim trees in October through January to avoid nesting season and comply with wildlife protection laws and establish a stakeholder working group.

The city council meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at 3200 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way.