The city plans to uproot and kill our mighty ancient tree!

~About our tree and the support it provides for wildlife:

It stands, healthy and strong, on the corner of our property today as it has for over 200 years. Its trunk is a gigantic 10' 34" in diameter! In the spring, it blossoms in endless clusters of flowers that feed our bees and hummingbirds, and it houses many animals throughout all of the seasons. Its leaves grow lush and green in summer, many of them spanning to over a square foot in size! This creates lovely shade in our yard, and protective coverage for prey animals. In autumn, the tree fluoresces into an electric yellow, and its magnificent canopy fills our neighborhood with color. As its color changes, horse chestnuts form and start to fall as squirrels clamber over its branches to harvest and hide them away for the winter. This is crutial for their survival, especially since our winters have become harsher over the past 5 years! Our chickens roam our yard and love to kick the fallen leaves around to search for slugs and insects that feast on them. These insects are a vital source of nutrients for our chickens, native birds, and other wildlife that call our neighborhood home. With all of the deforestation taking place around our city limits, and the destruction of generational urban trees, this would be yet another devastating blow to our environment that has a far reaching impact on the health of all our local living creatures.

~For myself, my housemate, and her 9 year old daughter, this tree is precious:

We cherish this tree and its history. We love observing the animals it provides for, and are honored to behold its abundant glory and all the creatures that enjoy it. I gather snips of the flowers to make arrangements for meditiation. My housemate and her daughter collect the chestnuts annually and use them for arts and crafts! We were set to create a ladder this year so that we could climb it and build a treehouse! We long to protect it. Trees like this are sacred and SHOULD NOT BE DESTROYED!

Similarly, our neighbors over at the Kenney take walks and come to our tree specifically to gather chestnuts for their own decor, and to enjoy its sentimental value, as many of them have grown up visiting this tree in their childhood. We have many West Seattle residents pass by this tree to enjoy its splendor. This is a generational staple of our neighborhood.

~The city's plan for its destruction:

The city wants to build a ramp from the curb to the street. I want to be very clear: we absolutely want our sidewalk and streets to be accessible for everyone! There are ways to do this that do not involve killing our tree. 

Their plan as it stands now, is to dig so deeply at our corner that they'll destroy the tree's roots and kill it. Thus, they are to cut it down entirely and take it away!

We are proposing that the city make the last part of our side street, Fontanelle, a one way that goes out to Fauntleroy. This will allow the sidewalk to extend in length over a small portion of Fontanelle. In lengthening the sidewalk, we can assure that the degree of grade in the slant will be gradual, and within ADA guidelines, making it accessible and safe. 

This tree is considered "exceptional" under the Director's Rule 16-2008 under the city code according to the City of Seattle's Department of Planning and Development. However, the project manager for our street advised that this department has since desolved and the rule will likely not be applicable to this situation. I am still pleading with the city, and this is why I need your help!

Please sign here so that we may protect our city's hisorical living trees, and all of the animals who depend on them for survival. Your voice makes a huge difference! Help us advocate for our environment, and its wonderful living creatures that make Washington state and West Seattle so special!

This majestic piece of living natural history is set to be destroyed by our city at the end of this week or early next [approximately 4/16/2022].

You can make a difference!