On Monday, August 26, a group of Mira Mesa residents protested the removal of nearly 70 mature trees from a local park. They said cutting down and killing 50- to 75-year-old trees in Mira Mesa Community Park was inconsistent with San Diego’s efforts to increase tree canopy cover in the city as part of its climate change goals.

The trees are reportedly being removed to make way for improvements to the park, including additional parking, a proposed swimming pool and skate park, and other improvements that have been in the pipeline for some time. However, residents said they were unaware that 68 mature trees in the area are to be torn down and replaced with young saplings.

Local resident Martha Martin, who organized the protest, told local media:

“I have spoken to hundreds of residents who use the park every day – not one of them knew that these trees were being cut down.

“There’s no reason why we can’t design this in a way that preserves the benefits of the trees and the improvements they provide. There’s so much space here.”

Accordingly KUSI:

In a statement, city spokesman Tyler Becker said the project to provide “much-needed improvements” to Mira Mesa Community Park includes “improved landscaping” to offset the impacts of tree removal, including the planting of the 75 seedlings.

Becker noted that 81 mature trees will remain untouched and the project will be completed in summer 2026.

Protesters say that while the new seedlings are important, they will not be able to provide the same environmental benefits for several decades, when the trees are fully grown, causing short-term problems before the long-term benefits are realized.

It’s no secret that tree cover in cities brings a number of benefits, from reducing pollution and retaining rainwater to cooling and mitigating the urban heat island effect – a phenomenon in which an urbanized area experiences higher temperatures than peripheral areas.