Port Angeles postpones felling of Lions Park sequoia

PORT ANGELES — City officials have postponed the removal of the Lions Park sequoia.

Port Angeles Mayor Sissi Bruch said she was concerned about the safety of protesters climbing the tree, which was scheduled to be felled Monday morning.

“There were people who were going to climb the tree and things like that,” Bruch said.

“I didn’t want anybody to get hurt.”

City officials have said the 110-foot sequoia is causing property damage and presents a safety hazard.

The city awarded a $2,200 contract to Sitkum Tree Service of Port Angeles on Nov. 27 to remove the tree from the neighborhood park at 601 E. Whidby Ave.

Wood from the tree will be salvaged and used for a sign, totem pole or other city asset.

No date for tree removal had been set, Bruch said when reached by cellphone Monday.

In addition to her safety concerns, Bruch said there had been a “lot of misinformation” about the cost of tree removal and the process that led to the decision to cut the tree circulating in emails.

“I want to calm down some of the emotion on this,” Bruch said.

Bruch said she planned to schedule a community meeting to explain the city’s decision to cut the tree and the lengthy process that led to the decision.

Advocates gathered at the sequoia at 7 a.m. Monday to protest tree removal and demand that the city take steps to address climate change.

Dozens of ornaments were placed on the lower branches near a sign that read “Save our Sequoia.”

Several tree supporters said they planned to voice their concerns at the City Council meeting at 6 p.m. today at City Hall, 321 E. Fifth St.

Ray Bowlby, who rents the house immediately to the west of the sequoia, said he was “surprised” by the decision to postpone tree removal.

“That’s a good sign,” Bowlby said. “Hopefully they’re starting to reconsider.”

Bowlby said his 3-year-old daughter, Zoe, became upset and “burst into tears” when she learned that the city planned to remove the sequoia.

“She wanted to run out and go touch the tree,” Bowlby said.

“She said: ‘It didn’t hurt anybody. Why are we hurting it?’ which was sad and cute at the same time.”

City Parks and Recreation Director Corey Delikat has said the sequoia is causing “significant property damage to the driveway, waterline and foundation of a nearby house.”

Margi Normandin, whose property is served by a driveway near the sequoia, told the City Council at its Nov. 20 meeting that the roots had made her driveway impassable and had ruptured a water line.

The city hired Olympia arborist Kevin McFarland to assess the tree late last year. McFarland determined in a Jan. 17 risk assessment that the sequoia posed a high risk of danger and should be removed.

City officials have said the sequoia’s two main stems form a weak union about halfway up and could snap in high winds.

Shaelee Evans, a local farmer who has studied forestry, said the double leader stems could be bolted together to assuage any safety concerns.

“If that leader wanted to ever go anywhere, it wouldn’t because it would be tied to the main one,” Evans said before climbing the sequoia Monday.

“But it’s a really healthy tree.”

Evans said she was “relieved” that the city postponed tree removal.

“I think the city was setting this really dangerous precedent of saying that they want to prioritize removing dual-leader trees and bumps in the road over so many other issues,” Evans said.

Before awarding the bid, city officials estimated the cost of tree removal to be $10,000 to $12,000.

Evans said $11,000 would be better spent on improving the park, addressing homelessness, investing in local farms or supporting schools.

Environmental attorney Elizabeth Dunne has asked the City Council to impose a moratorium on removal of landmark or heritage trees in public parks until an adequate public process can be applied.

Dunne has said the city’s new tree-removal policy is inadequate and was not vetted by the public.

“We would like to put together our proposed solutions and have them seriously considered by the city, and we’ll be asking at tomorrow’s council meeting for the moratorium,” Dunne said.

Evans said the cone-shaped sequoia in Lions Park was planted in the 1940s, well before the nearby houses were constructed. The tree would be 20- to 30-feet taller if it were in a forest competing for sunlight, Evans said.

Evans predicted that Lions Park would “turn into a marsh” post-tree removal because mature trees like the sequoia can consume up to 100 gallons of water per day.

In a small claim filed Friday in Clallam County District Court, Tyson Minck of Port Angeles said the sequoia provides several ecosystem benefits, including reduced air pollution, carbon sequestration, improved water quality, decreased soil erosion, ground water recharge, shade and wildlife habitat.

Minck is seeking $5,000 in damages from the city for ecosystem benefits lost by tree removal.

Bowlby said his landlords are split on tree removal. One would like the tree to remain and the other has concerns about diminished property values, he said.

Bowlby, who lives in the shadow of the sequoia about five yards from its truck, said he was not concerned about the tree falling on his house.

Bowlby added that a local plumbing company determined that the broken water pipe north of his house was caused by a very old cast iron pipe and not the roots of the sequoia.

“The roots aren’t down here,” Bowlby said. “They’re not breaking it.”

Lydia Kores of Port Angeles said she was pleased that the city postponed tree removal.

“It shows that when you have a voice, and you use it, people can actually make a difference,” Kores said.

“It brings confidence in the government for me. I believe that we can all make a difference if we try now.”

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Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56450, or at rollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.