Olympia to cut down three historic oak trees along Legion Way
The city of Olympia plans to remove and prune historic oak trees along Legion Way Southeast starting this summer.
The large trees create a green canopy over Legion Way between Plum and Central streets. The first trees were planted in 1928 to honor the nation’s war dead and today the area is on the local register as a historic site.
Though appealing, the city says it must remove some of the trees over the next three years to improve the area’s urban tree diversity. The city annually assesses about 117 trees in the area. Out of that total, the city says 95 are from the oak family, or about 81%, a newsletter from the city’s planning department said Wednesday. That’s a problem because urban foresters recommend “no more than 30% of trees in an area come from one family,” the newsletter states.
Replacing the oaks with different trees is necessary to reduce widespread pests and disease, per the newsletter.
“No city has perfect tree diversity, but we have an opportunity to make Legion Way a healthier stretch of road,” the newsletter states.
The city points to two U.S. outbreaks of infestation from the last century to make its case: Dutch elm disease in the early 1900s and Emerald ash borer in the late 1990s. Both of those outbreaks resulted because those two species were planted as monocultures, the newsletter states.
A contracted tree care company will start performing tree work on the Legion Way corridor during the week of July 13 and either July 27 or Aug. 3, depending on the contractor’s availability, according to the newsletter.
During this work, trees will be removed and pruned. Replanting will take place either this fall or next fall, per the newsletter.
“Going forward and as trees are removed, we must replace the oaks (for the time being) with a different species of large-form trees that will provide as much biodiversity, stormwater mitigation, and shading as the oaks,” the newsletter states.
When reached for comment, Olympia Urban Forester Leanne Wells said the city will remove three trees and prune six others this summer.
The wood from the removed trees may be used by the city’s Park’s department, donated or chipped for mulch, Wells said in an emailed statement.
The replacement trees will be “climate forward, large form trees and most likely deciduous,” Wells said.
“The trees will be 1.5- to 2-inch caliper trees at the time of planting,” Wells said. “Usually hardwood trees of this size – depending on the species – are 5–10 years old at time of planting.”
The cost for removing and pruning trees this year will be $69,469.36, Wells said.
“We will not outsource the planting that will more than likely be a volunteer event with staff,” Wells said.
More removals and prunings will follow in 2027 and 2028, Wells said. She said plans are not set in stone because the trees are alive and may change with time due to age or storm events.
“It is an art and a science to navigate exact numbers at this point, and would more than likely change,” Wells said.
When asked, Wells said the city did not have a map of the specific trees being targeted for removal or pruning.
The first trees were planted on Nov. 11, 1928, the 10th anniversary of Armistice Day, the day World War I ended, according to the city’s newsletter. That day is now celebrated annually in the U.S. as Veterans Day.
The American Legion, a national veterans service organization, kickstarted the tree planting process in the 1920s, the newsletter states.
To honor Olympia veterans, the city renamed Sixth Avenue as Legion Way in 1927, according to the Olympia Historical Society and Bigelow House Museum. The trees followed a year later.
Why were oak trees chosen? The trees represent “military valor, resilience and endurance,” the city’s newsletter states, but they were also readily available across the U.S. at the time of their planting.
“First, we do not want our veteran community to think we will never plant another oak along Legion Way,” the newsletter states. “We will! But we do need to balance our inventory with a more varied tree selection.”
Over the decades, the city has removed improperly maintained trees, per the Society and Museum. On Nov. 11, 2010, the city reportedly sponsored a new tree planning effort that was attended by local officials and descendants of the 1928 sponsors.
