By Khalida Sarwari
And the award for the best tree in Saratoga goes to …
Well, the jury is still out, but one local group is creating an inventory of the most unique and beautiful trees in the city.
The Saratoga Heritage Preservation Commission is asking residents to send in nominations for trees–either on their property or elsewhere in the community–that meet the criteria for a heritage tree, or a tree that deserves special recognition.
What is a heritage tree? “It could be old or something on a significant property, like a house where [abolitionist John Brown’s widow] Mary Brown lived,” said Marilyn Marchetti, a member of the commission. “Something historical–trees that just look really beautiful. It could be a row of trees.”
The criteria are as follows: The tree must be healthy and show potential for longevity; it must be distinct in some way–by its age, size, species or location; and the tree must be historically important and or relative to the agriculture, social, cultural, aesthetic, educational or economic aspects of the community.
The ultimate goal, said Marchetti, is to have Saratoga be recognized as a “tree city,” a place where tourists driving through the area might be compelled to pull off the highway and spend a few hours here appreciating the city’s natural wonders.
“That’s what makes Saratoga so special, that we’re nestled among all these trees,” she said.
The idea for the initiative was spurred by the Saratoga City Council early last year, Marchetti said. The council instructed the commission, whose mission is “to preserve anything that’s historical in Saratoga,” to develop a procedure to identify the trees that deserve recognition, she said.
Thus far, the commission has received about five nominations, which all have been turned over to city arborist Kate Bear for review. Bear will inspect each tree to ensure that it’s a good and healthy candidate and then make a recommendation to the city council. Then it’s up to the council to approve the tree, after which it gets added to the inventory that the commission is putting together. The list does not affect existing tree codes, Marchetti said.
At some point, the trees that are chosen for recognition will also be physically marked in some fashion, said Marchetti. Each tree will have a plaque or something similar on the ground next to it noting its species, age and name.
The commission is now gathering nominations and will do so on an ongoing basis, said Marchetti.
“People can send nominations forever,” she said. “This will be a continuous process. Saratoga’s a pretty big city.”
Once trees receive final approval by the city council, they will be added to the inventory, which will be posted on the city’s website at saratoga.ca.us/heritagetrees.com.
Residents can pick up nomination forms at the Saratoga Planning Department. Nominations can also be obtained online at saratoga.ca.us/heritagetree_form. In a note, residents are advised to include their address if it differs from the location of the tree and attach a photo of the tree.
For more information, contact Alexandra Nugent, a commissioner at the Heritage Preservation Commission, at 408.867.2616 or alexandranugent@sbcglobal.net.
