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closeA floss silk tree planted in front of Mission San Luis Obispo in 1963 was removed Thursday.
The tree's large roots were spreading sideways, cracking and breaking the mission's steps and damaging an adobe wall. The roots were recently found to have grown under the museum and gift shop.
The city's Tree Committee was initially concerned that removing the tree - one of 21 heritage trees in the city - could be a great loss for San Luis Obispo. Such trees are designated because of their location, species or historical importance.
A proposal to move the 80,000-pound tree from its location to another spot in the plaza was scrapped after an archaeologist discovered the tree was planted over original mission-era tiles, which could date to the 1700s.
John Fowler, project manager for the mission renovation project, said in December the tree could not be moved because pulling it out of the ground would damage the mission-era tiles and perhaps adjacent archaeological artifacts.
However, the tree is expected to live on in 1,000 floss silk tree clones that are planned to be available for planting in the city by the end of the summer.
Bunyon Bros. Tree Service, which was hired to remove the tree, is also offering cut pieces of the tree for free. Call 547-1903 for more information.
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