LODI — Fire safety is on everyone’s mind these days — including Union Pacific Railroad.
The rail operator cleared out overgrown brush along its line in Lodi last week, but some neighbors say they went too far. Twenty-nine trees were cut down.
Neighbors say the grass near their Mokelumne Village condominium complex say it was about time for the dry brush and grass to be removed because their homes would be in danger if a fire was sparked by a nearby train track.
“They actually did a beautiful job cleaning it all up,” resident Nancy Campbell said. “The next day they came along and cut the rest of the trees down. All of them.”
Six of the 29 trees that were cut down were redwoods planted in the 80s. Campbell said homeowners should have been notified the trees would be removed. A Union Pacific spokesperson told FOX40 the city requested they remove all fire hazards. The railroad determined the trees endangered homes.
Susan Crosby’s back yard now gets blasted by the sun without trees to provide shade.
“The shade is gone, the noise barrier to train is gone, the privacy barrier to the people who walk the tracks is gone,” Crosby said.
What’s more, the view from some of the backyard is the graffiti filled wall on the other side of the tracks.
The only tree standing is a large Eucalyptus tree that residents were told was home to nesting birds. They were told the others had to go.
