Merced College to chop sick trees

Officials at Merced College said crews will soon begin removing about 80 trees on campus that stand near power lines and are now unhealthy or damaged because of years of pruning.

A grant from Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will cover the cost of removal, according to a news release. The trees are expected to be replaced when money for them becomes available and the state is not in the midst of a drought.

“These particular trees have been pruned back for many years as they are under the power lines,” said Joanne Schultz, vice president for administrative services, in the news release. “Unfortunately, while trying to protect the power lines, the trees have suffered as a result.”

Merced College is in the middle of forming a campus master landscaping plan to attempt to use less water and create a sustainable landscape environment, according to Schultz.

After the trees are cut down, they will be chipped and used as mulch around the campus, which could also benefit the college’s effort to conserve water.

The trees are not expected to be replaced in the near future because of the drought. When the drought ends, officials have said, the college will look to replace the trees through donations and through the Tree Partners Foundation, a Merced County-based group that seeks to protect, enhance and maintain trees.

Horticulture students have also taken steps to make sure the trees are replaced by the same species, according to Bryan Tassey, a professor of landscape horticulture.

“Our horticulture program is also collecting acorns from 20 different species of oaks on campus to be potentially worked into the master landscape plan for little to no cost to the district,” Tassey said in a news release.

For more information on the tree removal, contact the Merced College Office of Public Affairs at (209) 381-6470.

This story was originally published November 30, 2014 at 4:45 PM with the headline "Merced College to chop sick trees."