The downtown area of Sausalito, centered on the intersection of Bridgeway and Princess Street, is always busy with shoppers, tourists, and diners.  With its spectacular view of San Francisco across the bay, this area has great natural beauty.  The street trees, however, were not all in the best shape.

Bartlett Tree Research Labs determined that many Bridgeway trees were infected with fire blight and recommended their replacement with different and more diverse tree species in order to maintain the aesthetic potential of the area.  Due to the high-traffic location and limited access to soil and roots, chemical treatments were not recommended. Pruning to remove infections and reduce inoculum was determined to be only a short-term fix.

Sausalito Beautiful has worked with the City to replace the affected trees, offering to pay for the trees if the City did the replanting. In January of 2019, six non-fruiting Chinese Pistache trees replaced  six diseased Callary Pears.  We hope to continue replacing trees in this area at a rate of 10 per year for at least the next two years. Replacing these trees is not as easy as one might think given all the electrical, water, and sewer lines—along with the relatively small workspace in the sidewalk cutout.

The Chinese Pistache (Pistacia chinensis) is an ideal street tree, tolerating a wide range of conditions, with gorgeous fall colors of yellow, orange, and scarlet.  At its mature height, this medium-sized deciduous tree will be about 30 feet tall and wide, with a trunk 10″ to 14″ in diameter. 

A big thank you goes to Sausalito’s Public Works Department who is making Bridgeway more beautiful!