Just as picnickers began crowding Dolores Park on a sunny Friday afternoon to kick off the holiday weekend, an 80-year-old tree cracked in two and collapsed near the Miguel Hildago statue.
No one was injured and the statue appears fine, though it will be examined by staff from the Public Arts Commission at a later time, according to Dolores Park Works. The tree is on the west side of the park, near the bridge, which is not a preferred spot for parkgoers.
“It was really an act of god,” said Recreation and Park gardener Joan Vellatini. “We were lucky that no one got hurt.”
No one is more thankful than a gardener who was tending plants near the statue earlier today. He went to take a water break, and when he came back, the blackwood acacia tree had collapsed, Vellatini said.
“Someone was looking out for him,” she said.
The tree’s collapse is probably due to its age, Vellatini said. Blackwood acacias were planted in the 1930s, but the city stopped planting them because they have shallow roots, which crack sidewalks.
The trees also have a reputation for being brittle. There are a handful of blackwood acacias in the park, and they will be assessed to determine if they’re at risk of collapsing, Vellatini said.
The collapse of a tree is an unusual occurrence, she said.
“You are in more danger crossing the street.”
On August 8, a tree from Mission Playground fell on a car on Valencia Street. Crews at the scene suspected that excavation in the area damaged the tree’s root structure. On July 15, a tree collapsed at 17th and Dolores streets, and on April 19, one fell at 20th and Folsom streets.
As of 3:30 p.m., about a dozen Recreation and Park employees were removing the fallen part of the tree. The portion that is still standing will also come down, though it’s not clear if that will happen today. For the time being, that area of the park remains closed.
