Poll: City divided over fate of ‘beautiful but gross’ ginkgo

There's no denying the consensus: The female Plaza ginkgo trees have a noticeable aroma. Whether their essence reminds one of vomit or excrement, well, depends upon whom you ask.

What is even less agreed upon, however, is what, if anything, to do about it. On Jan. 29, the City Council voted 3-2 to cut down one of the three breath-stopping arbors. Then on Feb. 5, the council voted 3-2 to revisit the matter at an upcoming meeting.

This tree has had more ups and downs than the Grand Ol' Duke of York. In our most recent online poll, we asked readers to weigh in on the fate of the fetid offender. Out of more than 100 responses, about 53 percent said to save the tree; 39 percent were ready to shout “timber!”

Again, the comments to our non-scientific poll are the highlights:

That corner of the Plaza always smells like puke! Cut it down and replace it with something else.

Ginkgos are beautiful, living organisms dating back to the time of dinosaurs. The stinky berries are bad, no question about it. But the berries are only around for a few short weeks. So save the tree, it deserves our compassion.

These are an old species of trees, they have been around in the plant world for thousands of years – what have they done to anybody? Leave them be.

It was not their choice to be planted here, leave them alone.

They can be slippery and they do have a terrible smell. I don't think it needs to be replaced, just cut them down.

Someone needs to put these uppity trees in their place.

After all these years of locals gently putting up with the odor, some individuals who'll be long gone after these majestic trees would still be standing, are making a stink of their own. Insane. Bad, bad, bad Karma to cut them down.

Really!? I can't believe this is even an issue, they ruin the sidewalks and the trees smell like vomit and poo! Take them down.

I don't like the annual stink – been noticing it for years since moving here. Cut them down and replace with something else.

Leave it be. And, please, tell me Sonoma has something better to worry about it. The only way this debate could be more annoying is if leaf blower protesters got involved.

I grew up here and as a kid we called them the stinko ginkgos. Keep the stinko ginkgos!

I have loved that tree for years. Cut down the idiots, not the trees.

Who in their right mind approved planting of female gingkoes in the first place? They are notoriously odorous.

I love ginkgos. Have one in my yard. But the smelly one should be gone.

They smell like barf. I've thought they are gross for years. Beautiful but gross.

There might be a tree I don't like but it does NOT give me the right to kill it.

It's a beautiful tree. Why kill it? Because it stinks? So do some people.

Please stop catering to the damn tourists. This is an easy mess to clean up so get it together and stop cutting down healthy living trees. Who the hell did we vote for?

I think this is an irresponsible debate. You have three council members who agreed that it should come down based on professional recommendations and two who ignored those recommendations and riled up the community. A friend of mine owns a tree company and he laughed when I told him about this. He said, “What fool let a female grow for that long? You never do that.” I asked him what the City should do: “Bring it down and plant one or two other trees in its honor.” God forbid a child or an elder slip on the side walk, especially now that it's been publically noted as a hazard.

Please… would you remove a weed from a garden?

Would you divorce your husband for having stinky feet? Would you disown your stinky teenage children? Life is stinky sometimes that's what makes it fun!