Martin, Fontana parks eagerly await arrival of new trees

Extra hands are needed to help plant 55 trees this winter at TJ Martin and Jeffrey Fontana parks as well as others in adjacent Almaden Valley neighborhoods.

The trees will replace those removed near homes along Almaden Expressway and throughout both parks earlier this year under Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s gas pipeline safety program.

Workers from Our City Forest and the Martin-Fontana Parks Association will provide the new trees during two planting parties at the parks, one on Dec. 16 and the other on Jan. 6. Another couple dozen trees will be planted in the Shadow Brook neighborhood by the local neighborhood association with help from Our City Forest on Dec. 2, according to Councilman Johnny Khamis.

PG&E started removing more than 100 trees, shrubs and other obstructions within 10 to 14 feet of its gas transmission pipelines throughout the state about nine months ago so emergency crews can quickly access the pipes in emergencies to prevent explosions or other disasters.

What type of trees will go in the parks is still up in the air but Martin-Fontana Parks Association President Rod Carpenter said his group is eager for their arrival.

“We look forward to it very much,” Carpenter said. “That this year, along with our five-island project we’ve been working on, is the highlight of the year,” he continued, referring to five native plant islands added several months ago at the western end of Fontana Park.

The nonprofit has a “general palette” of trees that could be planted, according to Our City Forest executive director Loren Klick, “but one of our arborists is going to go for a walk after Thanksgiving, site by site” to determine which kind of trees would be most suitable where. Because there’s PG&E power lines and towers in the play fields, the trees can’t grow too tall or have non-invasive root systems.

The final tree locations should be selected by the end of next week; the planting parties will be held at Martin and Fontana parks from 9 a.m. to noon on Dec. 16 and Jan. 6. People interested in volunteering can call Ariel at 408-998-7337 ext. 108 or email plantingvolunteers@ ourcityforest.org to register.

Contact Julia Baum at 408200-1054.