After outcry over trees felled for Zozobra, Santa Fe looks for new ways to cast shade

SANTA FE — The site where several towering trees previously stood was decorated with signs and flowers Friday, several days after the falling of the leafy elms prompted a local outcry.

But Santa Fe officials say there’s an effort underway to replace the cut-down trees at Fort Marcy Park, the site of the annual Zozobra festival that last year drew an estimated 65,000 people.

That plan could involve planting native and drought-tolerant trees to take the place of the 12 Siberian elms, albeit in parts of the park outside established Zozobra evacuation routes. But it could also involve erecting other kinds of shade-providing structures for parkgoers.

Such shade-providing gazebos or canopies could then be removed for events like Zozobra, which celebrated its 100th anniversary last year, city officials said Friday.

“We see this as a huge opportunity to discuss shade options while remaining mindful of our carbon footprint,” said Melissa McDonald, the city of Santa Fe’s Parks and Open Space Division director.

The city plans a community meeting at Fort Marcy Park later this month to review its options, including where the trees and shade-providing gazebos should be located.

While city officials say the project was already in the works under a $5 million appropriation from the Legislature, they acknowledge it’s been impacted by the controversy over cutting down the 12 trees for Zozobra. Siberian elms are an invasive plant species native to Asia, but are now frequently found in New Mexico.

“We did feel it was timely due to the (tree) removal to bring it up,” said McDonald, who added some new trees could be planted as soon as this fall.

Many of the cut-down trees were located in an arroyo that separates two different parts of Fort Marcy Park. While a concrete bridge across the arroyo was built several years ago to replace a narrower bridge that had become a safety hazard, Zozobra organizers have said overcrowding remains an issue at the annual event.

They also said the event’s insurers had insisted the trees be removed in order for the insurance policy to stay in effect.

But the decision to cut down the trees angered some local residents and elected officials, who said there should have been more dialogue before moving forward with plans.

On Friday, some parkgoers took pictures of the makeshift memorials to the trees, which were erected by a group that calls itself “Save the Fort Marcy Trees.” Others lamented that several nearby picnic benches had lost their leafy covering.

Across the park loomed the site where Old Man Gloom will burn on Aug. 29, with nary a tree to block the view — or throw shade.