Disputed Shoreline tree gets a giant trim
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
A lengthy fight over a view-blocking cedar in Shoreline’s Innis Arden neighborhood ended Monday with workers trimming the tree back to about a third of its size.
From our news partner, The Seattle Times
Art Wright stood in his driveway in the rain, looking at the big Western red cedar towering over his front yard.
The cold Monday morning’s stillness was broken by the sound of chain saws revving up. Wright watched as workers began cutting off the top two-thirds of the tree and many of its vast branches.
Monday’s trimming of the stately red cedar ended a three-year battle between the Wrights and their Innis Arden neighborhood, an exclusive community in Shoreline.
See the full Seattle Times story here
Posts
2 comments:
I'm glad this story is getting some coverage. The Shoreline Tree policy of "No Tree Left Behind" is in full force now.
Though there have been some small improvements such as permitting requirements for trees 30" or more, and some street trees having some protection, the vast majority of our trees (in our City logo) remain unprotected. They are still subject to the whims of the Innis Arden Club and other property owners and even City policies (sidewalks, etc).
The Wrights in Innis Arden stood as tall as that magnificent cedar to defend it. They spent a small fortune to protect their property rights and the wetland on their property. Actually, there are many other Innis Arden residents who've done the same. In the past, the City also defended the wetland and it's huge guardian tree. But apparently now, a new regime has taken over in the City's enforcement of it's environmental laws.
Ironically, when the City set up it's new "Tree City USA" program it adopted regulations with it that will allow more tree cutting. With those regulations, the deal was settled with Innis Arden to allow more "street trees" to be cut, as long as they are not on the approved "street tree list" (which includes no conifers, native trees or even the existing street tree species!)
I know right? It makes no sense. And yet it's happening.
Now this tree on the Wrights property was not a street tree, in fact it was in a wetland, so it is still very bizarre to me that this was allowed.
Shoreline has a Sustainability Strategy, wetland and critical areas laws, stormwater codes requiring stronger reduction of runoff, and many other codes that should protect an enormous tree like this on private property.
And yet, this is the result.
Travesty after travesty in Tree City USA! It's enough to make you want to scream if you care about our iconic urban forest!
That is why I won't buy in a neighborhood with CCR's.
Post a Comment