LINCOLN PARK: Tree work under way

| Safety | West Seattle news | West Seattle parks

At Lincoln Park, the removal of ~91 trees and trimming of ~170 more is under way. (We took the photo above along Fauntleroy Way this morning.)

This is the work we first told you about back in June after touring the area with a group of nature and park advocates.

At the time, Seattle Parks said the work – to remove trees and limbs that are dead or in danger of dying – was imminent, despite the fact that public outreach had been scant.

Primary among the concerns that subsequently were voiced, advocates pointed out that June was still a highly active nesting time, and the city agreed to delay the work until this month. We subsequently learned more about the situation while touring Lincoln Park as a followup with bird steward Kersti Muul and Seattle Audubon’s Seth Shteir.

Since the June reports of impending tree work had raised some public concerns, they thought it would be helpful for you to know that they had taken a close look at what was planned and believed it to be prudent. (This was before the August 12th tree-limb fall at the northwest end of the main parking lot; a car was slightly damaged but no one was hurt.)

Maul, who describes her background as including work as “a certified arborist, utility arborist specialist, consulting forester, and hazard tree investigator,” pointed out that 21 of the trees were “categorized as imminent threats” and that in her opinion, they met “the qualifying standards for removal, coupled with the fact that there are direct targets within falling distance of the trees.”

Most of the trees categorized as “imminent threats” are Pacific madrone, red alder, Douglas Fir, Grand Fir, and big-leaf maple. Some have root rot and other pathogens; she identified and confirmed seven types, including laminated root rot, which she says would require trees to be taken completely down, rather than having snags left, as will be done with some. Snags facilitate wildlife habitat, as Parks staffer Christopher Rippey acknowledged during the June tour of the work he and others from Parks would be carrying out, so that’s why they would be taking care to leave some when feasible.

Shteir pointed out during our walkthrough that Seattle’s big parks, like Lincoln, “are the core of bird habitat” in the city, so they’re glad the work timing took that into account.

As noted in our June report, the work is expected to last up to two months.

barbara spector August 29, 2017 (7:40 pm)

Who ever hacked and slashed the park growth along the beach on the north side needs to be fired. They used a machine that mutilated the branches and chopped and churned everything that was growing. To do this anytime in a shame to do this at a time of drought is a sin.

I can’t believe that we tax payers are letting butchers be our park stewards.

Kersti E muul August 29, 2017 (8:52 pm)

I agree the bush-hog style they use down there is confusing, drastic and ugly…. And also usually unnecessary. The same goes for up top on the bluff trail. That bring said, I will be working with Seattle Audubon to develop a mowing plan for Lincoln Park, as it it is one of the only large parks that doesn’t have one in place already.

The work may have also been done in preparation for the tree removals that will be happening along that trail. They need access. I’m not sure though because i haven’t been down that way in a few days.

Normally the parks crews does this work, not Seattle’s urban forestry department that is doing the tree removal work. The arborists I met with are respectful guys and they take pride in their work.

barbara spector August 30, 2017 (8:20 am)

go check it out. Its heartbreaking!
- Denise August 30, 2017 (2:59 pm)
  
  I agree the brush-cutting on the beach trail is too much. Not only is it ugly and takes out native plants in addition to invasive, it seems to be encouraging the profusion of the invasive plants we don’t want. So, it’s counter-productive in the long run. Our organization—the Seattle Nature Alliance—has been talking to the Parks Department about this sort of treatment for years, but they keep doing it. By the way, it was SNA that had arranged that initial walk-through about the tree work mentioned above with the Parks arborists, and we came to the same conclusion—the tree work is reasonable. But, the brush cutting is work is not. We’ll be following up once again, and will be posting something on our Facebook page and blog about it. Also, we have been talking with Parks for years about mowing and have finally made some progress there, too. They are working with us on that.

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