It used to be difficult to see Forest Avenue for the trees, but not anymore.
As of last week, the street off Coast Highway is now almost bare of plant life.
Originally closed in 2020 during COVID-19, the street became a pedestrian mall with temporary patios for local restaurants.
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In 2025, the Laguna Beach City Council decided to make the thoroughfare a permanent pedestrian plaza.
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Sarah Yeldell and her husbad, Clay Yeldell, walk with up Forest Avenue with their kids, Troy and Sloan Yeldell in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, June 13, 2025. A plan to make “Promenade on Forest” a permanent walking plaza is moving forward after the city council approved an ordinance designating it a “Slow Street”. That means the area will be closed to vehicular traffic and the city will permanently lose 48 parking spaces. The street has been closed to cars since 2020 due to COVID-19. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Benjamin Nguyen eats lunch with his mother along Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, June 13, 2025. A plan to make “Promenade on Forest” a permanent walking plaza is moving forward after the city council approved an ordinance designating it a “Slow Street”. That means the area will be closed to vehicular traffic and the city will permanently lose 48 parking spaces. The street has been closed to cars since 2020 due to COVID-19. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Former parking spaces along Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, June 13, 2025. A plan to make “Promenade on Forest” a permanent walking plaza is moving forward after the city council approved an ordinance designating it a “Slow Street”. That means the area will be closed to vehicular traffic and the city will permanently lose 48 parking spaces. The street has been closed to cars since 2020 due to COVID-19. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Humberto Gonzales, visiting from Phoenix, walks along Forest Avenue in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, June 13, 2025. A plan to make “Promenade on Forest” a permanent walking plaza is moving forward after the city council approved an ordinance designating it a “Slow Street”. That means the area will be closed to vehicular traffic and the city will permanently lose 48 parking spaces. The street has been closed to cars since 2020 due to COVID-19. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
Construction continues in the 200 block of Forest Avenue as workers build a new pedestrian promenade in Laguna Beach, CA, on Friday, May 1, 2026. Most of the mature eucalyptus trees in the block were chopped down last month after two arborists recommended the removal of the trees. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
ExpandLast week, Laguna Beach officials called an emergency Zoom meeting to share test results where two arborists recommended the removal of the trees.
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According to city officials, “The tree removals were undertaken due to identified safety concerns related to risks to life and property.”
The next day, workers removed the mature eucalyptus trees.
The city plans to plant 30 new trees, including four live oaks and a couple of dozen eucalyptus, on lower Forest Avenue.
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