Save the trees -- sometimes

A row of eucalyptus tree that has stood along

Chestnut Avenue on the Fresno State campus for some 80 years will come down to make room for the long-awaited widening of the street, according to a Bee story Saturday. That has some people upset, and normally I might find common cause with them.

But I have a hard time rooting for eucalyptus trees. They make a great windbreak in open country, but that's about the only thing good about them. They don't have much of a root system, and often topple on their own. They aren't native to the Valley and they shed those messy little balls and some truly nasty sap, which can wreck painted surfaces.

When I was in college, the parking lot of my dormitory was ringed by eucalyptus. At the end of one year, a friend, who was graduating, had packed up all his belongings in his car. He came back inside for a last cup of coffee and a final round of farewells. As we sat in the dining commons, we heard a tremendous crack, followed by a huge crash. We ran outside to find that a giant limb from one of the trees had fallen smack on top of my friend's car. The car and all his possessions were destroyed. He didn't like eucalyptus trees much, either.

(Photo by Bee photographer Kurt Hegre.)