SRP agrees to foot the bill for tree relocation in Phoenix

PHOENIX - Salt River Project has started its tree removal and relocation project in the Mountgrove area of the Arcadia neighborhood near 44th Street and Camelback Road.

The electric company said trimming the fast growing trees became too costly, so they notified neighbors in 2011 that they wanted to remove the trees.

That didn't go over well.  The palm trees slated for removal were rare and unique Black Sphinx Date Palm Trees.

They're so tall, so broad, like columns you would see in an Egyptian temple, and not found anywhere else in the world," said Joy Hebert, a neighbor who fought to keep her trees.

Neighbors tell us the trees date back to about 1917 and are only found in the Phoenix area.  They produce a meaty, caramel tasting like date.

"People are amazed when they taste them, they're not like what you get at Dateland near Indio, they're much sweeter," said Eric Schlather who picks the dates and sells them at the Phoenix Farmer's Market.

"I don't think SRP realized the historical value," said Hebert.

After several meetings and much debate, SRP decided to pay to save the trees. 

Neighbors had two choices.  They could be compensated to cut down the trees or SRP would foot the cost to relocate the palm tree in another area of their property.

"It's not something that’s typically done by SRP, but we felt it was the right thing to do," said Gordon Lind with SRP

Lind told ABC15 out of 27 trees in question, 14 were cut down and 13 were relocated.

Three of those trees being relocated were on Joy Hebert's property.

"I thought because they're historic trees that have been here over a hundred years, it was important to save them if I could," said Hebert who watched nearby as huge cranes lifted the 15,000 pound trees out of her backyard and over the top of her home to replant in the front of the property.

"It was a little nerve wracking to see large 30 to 40 foot trees taken over the top of my house," said Hebert

The tree removal and relocation project is expected to last through the end of the week.