A growing controversy

It is a good thing that Citizens Bank chief executive Larry Fish and his wife, Atsuko, are fond of cherry trees. They may yet have to find room for an awful lot of them in their backyard.

Yesterday, even as crews were planting the last of the 100 trees that the Fishes and Citizens Bank donated to mark the centennial celebration of the Japan Society of Boston, defenders of the Esplanade, one of Boston's most precious jewels, were in full assault about what they consider a generous but misguided gift that could jeopardize the picture-perfect Charles River views.

And there is more than the usual whining going on: Cherry tree opponents have enlisted the support of a key ally, Secretary of State William Galvin, whose role as chairman of the Massachusetts Historical Commission gives him clout in what goes on the Esplanade and what does not.

Says Galvin, the man who spent nearly two years torturing some of the most powerful firms on Wall Street: The cherry trees must go.

''We are grateful to Mr. Fish for the trees," Galvin said. ''But we have to find an appropriate place for them. . . . Not here."

The three-mile Esplanade is sacred ground in Boston; change it at your peril, the Romney administration is learning.

Last year Fish and his wife, vice chairwoman of the Japan Society, proposed planting the trees and paying for their maintenance. The cost: more than $100,000 for the planting and about $10,000 a year for the care. The state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which oversees the Esplanade, first proposed massing the trees on the islands near Community Boating, and sent that plan to the state historical commission, which also has oversight because the Charles River basin is included on the National Register of Historic Places. The historical commission OK'd the plan. But Community Boating later objected to the trees, saying they could create a hazard by obscuring boaters who got in trouble on the river. The Romney administration then shifted the trees to the Storrow Lagoon, the place with the Esplanade's most magnificent views. The historical commission never approved the change.

The sight of two rows of 10-foot cherry trees has set off a storm. State Representative Paul Demakis, a Boston Democrat, notes that the state's own master plan for the Charles River Basin, completed two years ago, says the Esplanade has enough cherry trees. Says the master plan: ''The yearly donation of cherry trees from Japan is a wonderful gesture, but their excessive use in the basin has lessened their appeal and forced their siting in inappropriate places." Linda Cox, co-president of the Esplanade Association, a private group that raises money for the park, also said the board did not approve of the trees on the lagoon.

A state spokesman, Felix Browne, said the lagoon site was recommended by the Esplanade Association, and he suggested the group was split. He said the administration sees the gift by Fish and the bank as a model in this era of tight budgets. ''These are the only trees not being paid for by the taxpayers on the Esplanade," Browne said. Fish declined to comment; in a statement, the bank said it was ''proud to partner" with the state.

Yesterday, most of those walking by the new cherry trees seemed pleased. ''I don't think you can have enough cherry trees," said walker Allan Staley. Said Kim Patric, there with her dog, Sally: ''I wouldn't have thought there could be too many trees. What a strange concept."

If I'm going to err, I'll err on the side of trees. And thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Fish.

Steve Bailey is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at bailey@globe.com or at 617-929-2902.