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The city addresses tree safety concerns

Monday’s storm brought strong winds which toppled and damaged trees across the county. San Diego city officials are reassuring the public, saying that experts regularly monitor at risk trees around...

SAN DIEGO (CBS 8) - The tree limb which injured a teacher Wednesday afternoon came from a eucalyptus tree. Several eucalyptus trees have been linked to injury or death and some experts say they are concerned. However, San Diego city officials say they monitor all trees to ensure people are safe. 

RELATED: Teacher injured after being hit by falling tree branch in Scripps Ranch

Last month, a major cleanup effort was underway in San Diego after the city lost more than 500 trees during a severe wind storm. Though many different types of trees toppled over during the storm, one expert claims the majority were eucalyptus trees. 

RELATED: Memorial for woman killed after tree falls on car in Pacific Beach

"These eucalyptus tree limb failures and trees falling over like a month ago, that's going to keep happening," said John Sevier, an arborist and former owner of San Diego based Eucalyptus Tree Service. 

Sevier says the solution is to either get rid of all the eucalyptus trees in the county or prune and inspect them on a frequent basis. 

"It breaks sometimes without warning at all. They just crack and break," said Sevier. 

A eucalyptus tree was to blame for the death of a woman in Old Town in 2003, however, any tree can be hazardous, which is why San Diego city officials say they have crews out all the time doing preventative work. 

"Prune them before they fail," said Jeremy Barrick, San Diego's Urban Forestry Manager. 

Barrick was hired to oversee the maintenance of city trees and decide on new ones to plant. 

"It comes down to monitoring the trees and tracking their trend and performance," said Barrick. 

Barrick says it's also important for residents to look for signs of distress and report it as soon as possible. 

Experts say it's best to stay away from trees during and after storms. If you do see a tree you're concerned about in the City of San Diego, call 619-527-7500. 

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