Residents of Long Branch Avenue won a victory last week with the help of some scientific needling — making it clear they were not barking up the wrong tree. As a result, the 60-foot-tall leaning Torrey Pine shading the street will stay in place while city crews find a work-around to fix the sidewalk surrounding the giant, according to Hassan Yousef, deputy director of the city’s Streets Division. Yousef told members of the Ocean Beach Planning Board the city plans to use a rubberized sidewalk, a street “popout” to deter parking directly underneath the tree and other improvements to bring the surrounding walkway up to code. “[However,] if it becomes a hazard we would take immediate action,” Yousef said. The tree had been the subject of community interest for the last few months after city crews marked it for removal as part of a planned, ongoing sidewalk repair campaign across the city. The resulting community backlash forced the city and independent arborists to confer and take a second look at the pine’s fate. One certified arborist, Theron Winsby, found no evidence of decay or damage, and determined that it simply needs pruning, according to his report. A second expert, however, did issue a caution. It will be very important to watch and monitor the tree, said David Shaw, a farm advisor with the University of California, Davis, who also spoke at the meeting. Shaw said that as the tree continues to grow, the question becomes “When is it really too big?” for Long Branch Avenue. Local residents also suggested applying for a city permit to independently watch and prune the tree. But even as the independent arborists, city staff and neighbors debated the fate of the tree, one young couple living across the street said they want something more firm done. The tree’s lean seems a little too close for comfort, they said. The couple, Alan and Michele Babke, have lived in their home across the street from the tree for about two years. “It’s a little uncomfortable,” Alan said. “I just want to make sure it’s safe.” While the towering and majestic tree remains observably healthy, the back-and-forth between the city and independent reports does leave questions, according to the Babkes. “We just want a straight answer on whether or not it’s safe,” Michele said. “We don’t want to be the ones calling them saying that it fell on the house.”