City to Remove Park’s Diseased Cypresses

SEAL BEACH — Nearly a dozen cypress trees will be removed from a local park to prevent the spread of fire blight.

Councilman Frank Laszlo alerted city officials after receiving calls from concerned residents who noticed that cypress trees lining Bluebell Park in the College Park East community were turning brown.

“It’s a root disease,” said Laszlo, who represents the College Park East neighborhood. It can spread quickly.”

Public Works Director Steve Badum said the trees, of a variety known as Leyland cypress, are particularly susceptible to the disease.

Badum said the afflicted trees in Seal Beach provide a buffer between the park and nearby residents. Once they are removed, Badum said, the city will try to put in some kind of temporary shielding between homes and the park.