Ttwo of the three ancient oaks scheduled to be removed for safety reasons are in the center of the area where graduations are held at SRJC.

Sick SRJC trees to be cut down this week

KERRY BENEFIELD
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT

Crews on Thursday will begin taking down the first of four trees on the Santa Rosa Junior College campus found to be stricken with oak root fungus.

The first tree to be removed stands near the rose garden on Mendocino Avenue.

On Saturday, three more trees on the lawns west of Burbank Circle and east of Analy Hall will be cut down and removed using a 100-foot crane, said Carl Dobson, an arborist and the college's manager of grounds and recycling.

All trees are more than 100 years old.

The removals, which officials said are driven by safety concerns, will bring to six the number of oaks — some heritage-size and age — lost on the Mendocino Avenue campus since November.

The wood is slated to be used to create a number of benches, used in campus art classes, donated to an elementary school and ground into mulch.

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