[EBB Sightings] Berkeley's barn owls gone

About a year ago or so I and several other folks posted sightings (and hearings) of a family of barn owls raising their young in
a huge old canary island palm near Edwards and Bancroft in Berkeley. Evidently, the birds had been there for several years.
Anyway, last night I was in the area and found that someone had cut down the canary island palm and the owls are gone. Does
anyone know anything about this/why someone would cut the tree down?

Lisa