Pepper Tree to be Cut Down Feb. 29th

Posted 2/24/12 – The big pepper tree in Kersting Court, the one with the crevice in the trunk that you took a picture of your kid standing in, the one that was a “mature” tree long before it was part of a set on the film “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” in 1954, the one that has come to serve as an identity for the downtown, the one that many consider to be an old friend, will be cut down on the morning of Wednesday, Feb. 29th, according to the Public Works Dept.  The tree, which I’m told by town historian Phyllis Chapman was planted in the 1880s (I think she said 1887) by a teacher at Sierra Madre School (which was located there at the time), was recommended for removal by the City’s arborist, and the Tree Commission agreed.  The tree suffered some damage during the recent windstorm, but interestingly, it actually had a major branch break off the day the winds came, several hours before the winds arrived.  SMFD came and cordoned off the area, and then the winds hit later that night.

According to Pat Alcorn of the Community Services Commission, “The Community Services Commission and the Tree Commission met jointly on Tuesday night and even though as a group mourned the demise of the tree, agreed that it had to come down. The wood will be saved, and perhaps some time or another can be used for something in Kersting Court.  The Community Services Commission and the Tree Commission will have public hearings about what will be done with Kersting Court once the tree is gone.”

A local resident suggested to me that perhaps a bench could be made out of the tree that could go in Kersting Court, and I thought that was a good idea. I asked Public Works Director Bruce Inman if the contractor cutting the tree could cut it in big enough pieces that slabs could be cut to make a bench, and he said they could.  Of course, nothing will be done without the Community Services and Tree Commissions approving it.

Also, Patricia Ancona of the Friends of the Arts has suggested that between now and Wednesday, people take pictures of the tree, with family, friends, animals, etc. to be used in a public presentation as a memorial to the longtime “city elder.”