Rare Trees Killed in Drought to Be Reused at San Diego Botanic Garden

"It was truly amazing that we found these trees locally," the CEO of San Diego Botanic Garden told NBC 7. "We get to give them new life."

Rare trees, that have fallen victim to the California drought, were cut down in Campo to be reused in an artistic way at the San Diego Botanic Garden.

Workers used a crane to remove seven rare Catalpa trees along Dehesa Road Thursday. The largest was 40-feet tall.

Catalpa trees, especially those as tall as the ones that have grown along Dehesa Road, are very uncommon in San Diego County. Unfortunately, the lack of rain took its toll.

But instead of putting the diseased trees into the wood chipper, the San Diego Botanic Garden plan to use them for planter chandeliers.

The large trees, pruned to just trunk and large limbs, were shipped via flatbed truck to the garden's location in Encinitas where they will be placed in storage.

The crew of eight people worked for a day and a half on the project, according to Julian Duval, CEO of the San Diego Botanic Garden.

"It will not be cheap," Duval said of the cost. The SDBG was going to import trees from Indiana which would have been far more expensive.

"It was truly amazing that we found these trees locally," he said. "We get to give them new life."

The trees were planted back in the 1950s and the owner had planned on turning them into fire wood.

"We are just so thankful that we got to them before he did," Duval said.

The plan is to use the trees as a base for living chandeliers featuring epiphytic plants like orchids, bromeliads or philodendrons.

The chandeliers would be raised and lowered depending on the event at the proposed Dickinson Family Education Pavilion.

The garden is currently raising funds to build the 9,300 sq. ft. facility that will include a main hall to accommodate up to 400 guests as well as an outdoor amphitheater with stage and lighting.

Learn more about the project here.

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