San Jose’s iconic Circle of Palms is losing all 32 palm trees ahead of holiday season

Ice skating in downtown San Jose won’t be the same this holiday season, after losing its iconic namesake.

Crews began removing all 32 palm trees from the Circle of Palms last week, after a city arborist found none of them were healthy enough to keep. Work is expected to continue for the next several days. Fifteen of the trees are dead or dying, and the remaining 17 are in declining condition ranging from moderate to poor, according to the city.