VENTURA : Leafless Trees to Sprout Anew, Expert Assures

Leafless, but not lifeless.

That’s what the landscaper who planted dozens of honey locusts along Main Street in downtown Ventura said about the sweet, spindly plants.

Although many of the trees have dried up and lost their leaves, landscaper Joe Scholle says they will bounce back later this year.

“They’re still alive,” he said. “Sometimes when you plant trees, they go into shock. But they recycle themselves and produce new buds and leaves.”

City officials earlier this year ordered dozens of gumdrop-shaped ficus trees chopped down and carted off to make way for the honey locusts and queen palms now shading Main and California streets.

The tree removal launched Ventura’s downtown upgrade--a $3.6-million effort to beautify the commercial core and attract more visitors to downtown. Improvements include new street lamps and traffic signals, wider sidewalks and newly paved roads in most of downtown.

Patrick Richardson, the city planner supervising construction, said it is not unusual for honey locusts to lose their leaves after being moved.

“If they would have been planted after they established their spring growth, they probably wouldn’t have dropped their leaves,” he said.

Richardson is not worried. The trees have a 12-month warranty. “It’s not really a problem for us,” he said.

The warranty begins after Aug. 4, when the construction project is scheduled to be completed. It will be several months after that before the queen palms sprout new fronds and begin providing more shade.

Construction will be put on hold on July 29, when the city is hosting an ArtWalk promotion.