THE LEAFLET

Thanks to a tip from dedicated neighbors, Casey Trees staff arrived last Friday morning at the 500 block of Cedar St., NW to see a perfectly healthy Heritage Tree,  135 inches in circumference and over 85 feet in height, being illegally cut down. Joining us were the city’s dedicated professional arborists, residents, and outraged neighbors. We all stood helplessly by – unable to do anything – while the tree was cut down, piece by piece.

The tree that was removed was a magnificent Willow Oak, which makes its loss all the more painful. With their cultural resonance, oaks are a foundational tree species, providing food and shelter for thousands of animals and insects, not to mention cooling shade and stormwater control for the entire neighborhood.

One would think that dozens of neighbors and the city’s staff could stop this illegal tree cutting, but everyone in attendance that day was powerless to stop it. Why?

Because of a well-documented loophole in current law, the City’s arborists are powerless to stop illegal tree removals, and this magnificent century-old giant is now a pile of hardwood mulch.

A recent attempt by Council Members Cheh and Allen to plug this loophole – the Urban Forest Preservation Authority Amendment Act of 2021 (UFPAAA), would finally give DC’s arborists stop-work authority to stop illegal tree removals such as this. Instead of being reactive by issuing fines after the tree has been cut down illegally, the UFPAAA would empower DC’s Arborists to be proactive by shutting down the job site.

Some of you might be reasonably asking – was this an outlier? No. In 2020 there were 24 documented illegal Heritage Tree removals; in 2021, there were 27. Sadly, if the past is prologue, this magnificent oak is likely not the only illegal tree removal we’ll see in 2022.

Councilmember Janeese Lewis George put it this way: “The unlawful removal of a heritage tree on Cedar Street demonstrates that DC’s urban tree canopy isn’t sufficiently protected by our current laws. In this case, the property owner considered the fine for tree removal as the cost of doing business, while the contractor proceeded with the removal despite knowing that there was no permit. Meanwhile, several DC agencies on site had no legal authority to step in and stop it. I support the Urban Forest Preservation Authority Amendment Act to strengthen protections for our urban tree canopy, which plays a pivotal role in mitigating climate change, creating shade, cooling our City, improving air quality, and reducing stormwater runoff.”

What can you do to help stop this disturbing trend? Reach out to your Councilmembers – tell them to pass the UFPAAA to give UFD Stop Work Order Authority to ensure what happened last Friday does not happen again. Casey Trees has plenty of advocacy resources on our website and we encourage you to become a Certified Tree Advocate with us!