More trees have recently been cut down in Lacey. Here’s why

Lacey City Council on Tuesday received an update on several construction projects, including one that has caught the attention of residents and generated letters questioning the work.

In September, the city awarded a $1.3 million construction contract for its 2025 sidewalk repairs. The project involves six sites throughout the city, The Olympian previously reported.

“The scope of this project is to replace approximately 45,000 square feet of sidewalk panels that have been lifted due to tree root growth, creating an offset between panels,” D’Andra Buchanan, the city’s engineering construction manager, told the council.

And that means removing and replacing 270 trees, she said.

Once the work is complete, some of the replaced trees will be maintained by the city, some will be maintained by homeowners’ associations and some will be maintained by the property owners, Buchanan said.

The tree removal prompted comments and questions from council members.

“Obviously, no one likes to see a bigger tree cut down, and we’ve cut down quite a few,” said Mayor Andy Ryder after Buchanan’s update.

He said the city has heard from area residents.

“You know, we’ve received some letters, saying, ‘Hey, there are some alternatives you guys could have done instead of cutting down this tree.’ Can you address that? Were there financially feasible alternatives?”

Buchanan reviewed some of the suggestions the city received.

Although root barriers are used, they are only good for so many years, she said. Root barriers are a vertical, physical barrier installed in the soil to redirect roots away from sidewalks.

“The tree roots will grow under the root barriers and eventually grow under the sidewalk,” she said.

They asked about rubber surfacing — like that found on some playgrounds — but city staff said it does not meet the requirements of the Americans with Disability Act. And to physically move a sidewalk away from a tree means the city would have to buy right-of-way to make that happen, which is expensive.

Council member Carolyn Cox also had questions about the replacement trees.

“One thing that’s concerned me, and I understand that some trees will have to go, but in recent years, we’ve had trees planted along College Street, only to find out they weren’t appropriate for the setting because they were already lifting roots,” she said.

“So how can you assure the council that the new trees that are going to go in have been thoroughly vetted and have roots that are more likely to grow down than out and up. Can you talk about that a little bit?”

The city gets input from arborists, matches the right tree with the right planter, makes sure root barriers are properly installed and is looking more closely at soil types, she was told.

Cox also asked whether the city’s street tree guide is being updated. It was something she worked on when she was a planning commission member, she said.

City Manager Rick Walk said it is constantly being updated.

The six areas of the city that will see sidewalk repairs and tree removal.

• An area bordered by Sleater Kinney Road Southeast and Carpenter Road, and north of 22nd Avenue Southeast.
• An area bordered by Wonderwood Park to the north and Yelm Highway to the south.
• An area between the southern ends of Hicks Lake and Long Lake.
• An area between Pattison Lake and Ruddell Road.
• Ruddell Road, south of Yelm Highway.
• Northeast Lacey near Marvin Road Northeast and Willamette Drive.

This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 5:00 AM.