I wanted to express my hearty support for the Magnolia tree-sitter, Jim Davis [“City Light heeds tree-sitter, leaves pine standing,” Local News, April 14]. I sure wish I had sat in the tree that once graced my view in Madison Valley the day I heard the chain saws.
While Seattle does good lip service with tree preservation, the tree ordinances always have some clause to allow builders or owners to take out trees that entire neighborhoods and ecosystems treasure.
Rather than pushing builders to integrate the trees into their design, builders say the tree would not survive the design, so the city permits it — as if it is inevitable. Having come from a family that specialized in making custom homes in wooded areas, I know it’s possible to increase values by incorporating trees rather than paving every possible square inch.
During the 25 years that I have owned my home in the Central Area, I have seen the devastation of more than 90 percent of the trees once in my immediate view. There is another project coming a block away — with the last standing large corner evergreen looking very nervous.
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If my pre-emptive letters to the city prove to be futile, it’s nice to know there might be an effective alternative.
Jackie DeVincent, Seattle