Trimming, cutting down? What are plans for stately Fresno High cedar trees?

Jim Guy
·2 min read

People in the Fresno High area love their trees, so the City of Fresno is reaching out before a scheduled maintenance program this month for the stately Deodar Cedars along Van Ness and Echo avenues.

The idea is to avoid misunderstandings among the area’s dendrophiles, as happened in 2022 along nearby Harvard Avenue, when trimming trucks showed up one August afternoon, prompting a social media call-to-arms in defense of the street’s beloved Chinese Elms.

It turned out the city had nothing but the best intentions in that case, but residents did persude the Public Works Department to stay the chainsaws until Winter, a generally agreed healthier time for tree trimming.

Brian Russell of public works indicated the upcoming project is intended to provide preventive care for the Deodar Cedars, planted years ago on the grassy median from Shields Avenue to the Fresno High School.

The deodar cedar trees in the median along Van Ness Boulevard south of Shields Avenue in central Fresno will be getting a trimming soon according to city officials who have placed signs along the route to notify neighbors.
The deodar cedar trees in the median along Van Ness Boulevard south of Shields Avenue in central Fresno will be getting a trimming soon according to city officials who have placed signs along the route to notify neighbors.

The tall evergreen conifers, which can grow to be more than 250 feet tall in its native Himalayas, have survived all types of weather, including drought, but are showing signs of stress and need some tender-loving care, added Russell. The city estimates the trees may be 100 years old.

He said seven trees have dead growth at their tops which needs to be removed. In addition, two of the trees are 90 percent dead, and need to be replaced.

“We’re trying to preserve the trees to get a lengthy lifespan,” said Russell .

For the two trees that need replacement, the city will purchase large Deodar Cedars to catch up to the size of the surviving trees. The trees can grow up to three feet a year.

“It’s all (going to be) done under the guidance of licensed arborists,” one independent and one from the city, he added.

“We are doing advanced notifications,” Russell added, including hanging notices on doors in the area. “It’s a hallmark location, so we are doing a little extra.”

Signs give notice of a tree-trimming effort beginning soon on the deodar cedars lining the median along Van Ness Boulevard south of Shields Avenue.
Signs give notice of a tree-trimming effort beginning soon on the deodar cedars lining the median along Van Ness Boulevard south of Shields Avenue.
The deodar cedar trees in the median along Van Ness Boulevard south of Shields Avenue will be getting a trimming soon according to city officials who have placed signs along the route to notify neighbors.
The deodar cedar trees in the median along Van Ness Boulevard south of Shields Avenue will be getting a trimming soon according to city officials who have placed signs along the route to notify neighbors.
The deodar cedar trees lining the median along Van Ness Boulevarfd south of Shields Avenue will be trimmed starting in mid-February according to city officials.
The deodar cedar trees lining the median along Van Ness Boulevarfd south of Shields Avenue will be trimmed starting in mid-February according to city officials.