When Tempe resident Korky Day saw the condition of trees on the ASU campus, he took it upon himself to correct the problem.
He compiled a detailed list of more than 100 damaged trees and forwarded it to ASU officials only to see no changes. Day said he has contacted ASU Facilities Management repeatedly for about a year and received no response.
"This has been going on for quite some time," he said. "I really think administrators are dragging their feet on this issue."
One of Day's main concerns is the palm trees on campus. He said excessive trimming and negligence are to blame for the damage.
"Where I grew up in California, palm trees looked so much better cared for," Day said. "These aren't what they are supposed to look like, cut up and trimmed like they are, and I don't think students should have to go somewhere else to see what a real palm tree looks like."
Pre-business freshman Steve Suvanto said he hasn't noticed damaged trees on campus.
"Sometimes I like to sit on the benches under trees between classes, but I never saw anything that looked wrong," he said. "If they are being mistreated though, I think it's an issue that should be looked at."
Day said University officials told him the skirts of the palm trees were removed for safety reasons.
"I was told that they were cut up so badly so dangerous animals wouldn't [live] in the trees," he said. "I don't buy that. What is being done to these trees is just too harmful. I don't think anyone would go through all that trouble to stop a few scorpions."
An ASU spokeswoman was unaware of Day's attempts to notify administrators.
"We work really hard to keep everything maintained and in good condition," said Nancy Neff. "We have professionals and that's their job to do that.
"If he wants to forward me his letter, I can definitely talk to someone in Facilities Management to find out about those trees," she said.
Day said the issue has been lingering for more than a year and it is only getting worse.
"All I want is for these trees to be taken care of," he added.
Reach the reporter at jason.samuels@asu.edu.
