Submitted by Dave Zink.
Our Garry Oak trees are a keystone species here in the South Sound area. We’re losing these trees at an alarming rate. Significant, large, mature oak trees are being cut down, many of which are hundreds of years old: destroyed indiscriminately in the name of so-called “development”.
Due to our changing climate, drought-tolerant Garry Oaks and the ecosystems they support are now more important than ever in western Washington.
Can you join me and take action? Click here.
It’s interesting to watch urban tree huggers, er activists as they would like to be called today, cling to the notion that the future of a City depended upon a few trees. Particularly, one species of tree. These mental giants would like you to think that these trees grow nowhere else on the planet. Perhaps they think birds will not be able to migrate without a couple of these specific trees in Lakewood. To listen to these nuts, who might have consumed one too many Gary Oak seeds, you might think that the Oregon White Oak is on the verge of extinction. Guess what? They are nowhere near extinction. Try least concern. They grow from Southern California to well up in BC.
Tree canopies are nice and needed. However, so are residences for people, places to shop, and industrial warehouses to store the Amazon packages that these urban warriors crave for their daily enjoyment.
Lakewood makes up .02% of Washington state. It’s a beautiful state, get out and view all the forests. I’d prefer densification of existing cities versus the deforestation impacts of urban sprawl. Lakewood is almost all built out, save a small section of Woodbrook. There are other places where these trees thrive. This action will not allow for densification. It will lead to further urban sprawl and more trees taken down.
Seems like a group of people with nothing better to do than impose restrictions on land owners. I’ll pass on signing the petition and instead go cut a tree down on my property today before I lose the right. These people would prefer communist countries where property owners have no rights. Perhaps Dave should move to one of those.
Dave,
Thank you for your words and reminder that it takes hundreds of years to grow these beautiful trees which provide our planet with oxygen, loveliness and stability. We cut them down in a few minutes and it is easily a hundred years to grow them back.
Right on Scott!!!!!!!!! I feel exactly how you do.
I love my Garry Oak trees. I think. Wait – no! Maybe I hate them. I am the rightful owner of seven within my property lines and within very few feet of my little house. On the property belonging to the City of Lakewood bordering two sides of my street corner property, and within striking distance of my residence are an additional 9 Garry Oaks.
I also love nature and the State of Washington. Until very recently I was a frequent backpacker hiking the Cascades as well as Lakewood’s parks, primarily to photograph the birds and views. Another “tree hugger?” No. But a believer in the preservation of our beautiful surroundings? Yes.
I have often grudgingly contemplated removing some of the most threatening of the trees. They are becoming more of a threat to our fifty-year-old home as both age. Another reason to remove some of the trees is to lighten my load this time of year. It takes me until about March to remove the dozens of buckets, 2-at-a-time, of leaves that cover my little piece of Lakewood as well as the considerable stretch owned, but not maintained by our city. Being well into my eighties this is not a chore I treasure each year.
So, what about residents like me who have legitimate reasons to take down a few Garry Oaks to protect property and possibly life? Draconian rules are not the answer. How many of you remember the signage debacle that the City imposed on business owners at the outset of Lakewood becoming a city?! The City at that time sent volunteer spies throughout the city to report possible violations. I chose to move my business out of town as a result.
Impose the Garry Oak restrictions with an eye to caring for the property owners. Harsh inflexible rules do not serve well. Neither do outrageous permit fees that favor the wealthy and lock the average homeowner out of the ability to manage properties reasonably.
What a sad species we humans are! How selfish we can be when we are only focused on “our” agenda… no consideration or respect for the wonders of nature. We are so eager to destroy nature for the sake of progress or for our own selfish interests—“these trees are too close to my home”… instead of realizing these trees have lived on this earth longer than us and still have so much more life to live long AFTER we are gone.
There is no reason to cut down a perfectly healthy tree. We should learn how to live in harmony with the trees and nature.
If we are so quick to destroy healthy trees, there is no hope for our kids, grandkids, and future lineage to enjoy and respect the magnificence of healthy, beautiful, CENTURIES-old monuments of nature.
We are living in one MOMENT of these trees’ lifetime. It is a sad day when WE are choosing to end a healthy trees’ life within our own puny lifetime.
Amen! Lj. Thanks for a most considerate, compassionate expression of concern for All Living Things. We shouldn’t have to ‘travel to visit’ the trees when they live right here and have for centuries. Also thanks for not indulging in negativity/slander, as so many are prone to in defense of a limited personal view.