SEATTLE — A controversial tree removal is underway Monday in the Maple Leaf neighborhood. We saw crews up in the branches with chainsaws in the afternoon.
We have been watching the back-and-forth between developers and protesters for weeks.
Pacific Tree Management was hired for the removal, making way for a new housing project, but the group ‘Tree Action Seattle’ is trying to prevent the removal of this tree named ‘Doug the Fir’ and others like it.
This tree in particular is half an inch shy of the 30-inch exeption criteria. Saws started buzzing last Saturday, but neighbors rushed to stop them.
The city said the removal company didn’t give enough advance warning before trying to take the tree down.
Then Monday the group said an unmarked truck showed up with a chainsaw.
“This is part of climate justice, it is not right to be removing part of our urban forest that keeps us healthy right now and it’s totally doable to build new houses and keep these amazing trees, so we need to do that and we’re not going to give up,” said a member from ‘Tree Action Seattle’.
If this sounds familiar, we saw something similar not long ago in Wedgwood as the community saved a massive Western Red Cedar.
It was scheduled to be taken down last month but activists, including tree climbers, blocked that and won widespread community support and backing from the Snoqualmie Tribe.
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