Here’s why some trees along 16th SW by South Seattle College are marked with notices

| Puget Ridge | Safety | West Seattle news

(WSB photo)

Notices like that one are posted on some of the trees along 16th Avenue SW by South Seattle College (WSB sponsor), particularly on the west side. This note we received from SDOT explains why:

The Sidewalk Safety Repair Program is planning to make repairs to the sidewalks damaged by tree roots on both sides of 16th Ave SW between SW Findlay St and South Seattle College Entry #2. Our tentative start date is October 5 and will likely take a few weeks once the work begins. The schedule depends on how much root pruning work there will be, especially on the west sidewalk. Our goal is to preserve all the trees, but there are a few trees at risk for removal because of the size and amount of roots that will need to be pruned to bring the sidewalk and driveways back down for ADA accessibility. The trees that are at higher risk for removal have been posted with SDOT Urban Forestry’s contact information. The sidewalk team and Urban Forestry will work closely together during construction to achieve both pedestrian safety and tree preservation to the extent feasible.

rooter September 22, 2026 (4:41 pm)

Root Pruning?

That’s fresh to me.

Byron September 22, 2026 (5:52 pm)

Root pruning is a fairly common horticultural practice. It’s a significant, but often overlooked aspect of bonsai cultivation. I sometimes root prune specimens in my cactus collection, if they should become root bound.

Jadeplantmaster September 22, 2026 (10:25 pm)

I do it all the time when I repot all my jade plants esp the bonsai ones.I have many varieties of Jade plants and the largest is 35 yrs old…huge…about 8ft span

Rooter September 23, 2026 (8:00 pm)

The difference being that bonsai, potted plants and large Jade are not large diameter street trees.

Trimming mature tree roots appears at odds with the advice of not disturbing the soil out to the drip line radius, especially when trees are in a small cutout in the concrete.
Suzy English September 24, 2026 (7:06 pm)

Picture of the 35 yr old jade plant! Please!!!
- Jadeplantmaster September 25, 2026 (1:58 pm)
  
  Click to the website Jadeplantmaster.comI am in West Seattle…
- Jadeplantmaster September 25, 2026 (7:40 pm)
  
  Here are some of the pictures

anonyme September 23, 2026 (6:39 am)

Sometimes root pruning is done prior to moving a tree (it’s how trees are prepared to go from field to nursery, for example) but in this case they are talking about cutting away large roots entirely. This is a risky business, and could well kill the tree. A lot of people are under the impression that Seattle is a tree-friendly place, but it just isn’t so. The regulations in place are to collect revenue, not protect trees. Illegal tree-cutting is rampant. Complaints go through DCI first, not the Arborist’s office, and the DCI employees know nothing about trees. In other cities actually interested in protecting trees, the sidewalks would be diverted, raised, or otherwise designed to accommodate the roots of valuable, mature trees. This has been done on the campus of Seattle University. The other problem is that contractors who plant trees for the city install inappropriate species, knowing full well that removal and replacement will be necessary at some point.

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