SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS)— Some of the iconic palm trees that line San Francisco’s Embarcadero are dying. The tropical trees, infected by a fungal disease that will require both their removal and replacement, are getting some close attention so the disease doesn’t spread.
In 1989, damage from the Loma-Prieta Earthquake prompted the removal of the Embarcadero Freeway in 1991. When the freeway came down, 222 Canary Island date palms went up.
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The disease is called fusarium wilt and has impacted some of the trees, four of which have already been removed. Three trees close to Justin Herman Plaza and another near Fishermen’s Wharf will need to be removed and replaced.
The work is technical as the disease spreads by spores.
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