The removal of five Italian Stone pine trees on E. Anapamu street has ignited backlash

Five Italian stone pine trees on a stretch of East Anapamu Street in Santa Barbara have been cut down recently. All but one.

The city says the trees had to be cut down because of unleveled sidewalks, damaged roads and tree decay.

Some neighbors feel the trees should have stayed. Cheri Rae, a Santa Barbara resident and author said, "these trees were designated a city historic landmark in 1997, and there are policies and procedures that are suppose to be followed. They were not followed. HLC (Historic Landmarks Commission) actually got wind that they were getting ready to cut these trees down and they actually asked for the issue to be agendized and the city parks department refused to do."

Urban Forest Superintendent, Nathan Slack says its a misconception that his department go to Historic Landmarks Commission for these kinds of things.

He says these actions are under the purview of the parks and recreation commission and that's in the Santa Barbara Municipal Code 15.24, which is the preservation of the trees ordinance.

Four out of five trees have been cut, but one tree is to not be cut, due to the fact there is a crow's nest. Until the babies are born, the tree must not be touched.

After a detailed assessment showed significant decay close to the base of the historic trees, they were declared a high enough risk to cut down.

Some residents say little to no information on the tree cutting was shared, but officials say around 80 letters were sent out to residents on the impacted stretch of East Anapamu Street.

"This is a community resource, this isn't just about the people who actively live here. So I think the process was really handled badly and we can do better than this." said Cheri Rae.