The Modesto man, Kevin Morgan, who purchases trees for The Landscape Center of Riverside, Calif., said city arborist Bill Hobson told him the city would like to get rid of the palms, that it would consider selling any Morgan liked.

A quick web search turned up a number of other businesses across the country offering cash for trees. The Riverside business sells most of its palms to Las Vegas hotels and other large-scale developments.

Canary Island date palms are messy ?EUR??,,????'?????<

And not only would Morgan pay $500 for each tree the city would sell him, he also would plant at no cost a substitute tree of the city?EUR??,,????'?????<

Morgan, who purchased about 70 trees from private landowners in Stockton, sought a handful of trees from city parks and about 20 from city land between the sidewalk and street.

Stockton city management, however, nixed the sale.

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Meanwhile, other trees on private land were uprooted in Stockton the week of March 30.

At a house on East Sonora Street, Fidencio Mendieta said he was at first unsure what to make of the man to came to his door and offered $1,000 for a tree.

Morgan said he buys as many as 800 palm trees annually, finding them in cities across Northern California.