This WAS a Monterey pine.
It's located in Santa Cruz County, in the "Live Oak" area. It's an area of unincorporated land between the City of Santa Cruz and Capitola, California.
This tree was probably growing in the front yard of a house that was removed when the land was developed. There are ordinances protecting large trees but the county rarely enforces them. So I suspect this tree may have been left to avoid any controversy.
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The area was graded and trenched for utilities. They made cuts for foundations and sidewalks. Heavy equipment parked and rolled over the root system. The tiny front yard effectively cut off all means for the tree to gather moisture or nutrition.
It looks as though the tree was "skirted" as the limbs began to die. What was left of the crown left the tree with little chance to produce any photosynthetic process especially since the entire root system was destroyed.
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So here it is. A lone sentinel. The last remnant of the local forest. Left to die an indignant death.
Actually it has been dead for quite a while. Monterey pines seldom fall over when they die. They tend to disintegrate straight down. Hence the limb removal.
I would suppose the home may be rented, and the owner of the property either can't afford to remove the tree or just doesn't care. I'm a retired municipal arborist, and this sort of thing makes me angry and sad. I post photos and do my diatribe in hopes that some will pass by and read about my concern and learn to take better care of the history/legacy that trees in our society represent.
