FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Save Downtown Trees
September 20, 2023
509-595-1736
Group Opposes the Removal of Pullman’s Trees
(Pullman, WA) – A coalition of community members, Save Downtown Trees, is calling on Pullman residents to attend a town hall meeting on September 26 to comment on a plan announced by the City of Pullman to remove the approximately 75 trees that line Pullman’s Main Street. “I think everyone can agree on wanting to improve the downtown Pullman environment, to attract more business and make it more pedestrian friendly and livable. But I think removing the trees and shade work against those goals, especially given the rapid change in our climate. I believe it is not either/or, that we can save many of the trees while doing the improvements. If we remove these trees, it will be at least 10-15 years before we see this kind of shade again,” says Tim Paulitz, a local community member.
The healthy ash trees, planted approximately 25 years ago, form a distinctive part of the downtown city-scape. Currently, the trees are slated for destruction and replacement as part of a downtown renovation project funded by federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which must be allocated by the end of 2024. “Most of these trees are healthy” says Monique Slipher, a local certified arborist who has studied the plan thoroughly. A survey by another certified arborist shows that only four of the trees are dead or dying.
Although a recent press release from the city mentions an online survey of residents and focus groups, “I question the methodology used to survey the community about this plan,” says Patrick Siler, a local artist who painted a huge mural on the side of Pine Street Plaza. “I’ve been a member of this community for more than fifty years and I received no survey and was not asked to a focus group. How exactly did the City Council arrive at the conclusion that this plan was worth supporting?” Comments left on the group’s petition point to widespread and well-informed disagreement with the plan. Steve Austin, an associate professor of landscape architecture, wrote, “My WSU students did a simple heat study showing that on an 82 degree day, surface areas without shade recorded 130.2 degrees, while areas in shade recorded 76.1 degrees. That's 54 degrees difference on an 82 temperature day - the climate crisis is accelerating - what temperatures will downtown record without trees on a 100 degree day?”
The City has also alluded to a need for ADA compliance, but “for me, this is a voting issue” says Elizabeth Siler, a disabled community resident. “Sadly I am going to have to vote with my feet – or actually my walker and wheelchair – and stop visiting the many nice restaurants that have sprung up on Main Street. MS makes excessive heat unbearable and I can’t wait 20 years for the replacements to grow into shade-producing trees. I note that some downtown business owners have also signed the petition — clearly they are concerned as well.”
The group is asking Pullman residents who oppose the removal plan to express their thoughts directly at the City Council Town Hall planned for September 26 at the Pullman City Hall (190 SE Crestview) at 7 p.m. For more information and a link to the group’s petition, see the group’s website at savedowntowntrees.com.