Trees & Tree Commission - Laserfiche WebLink

New Search

The maple, in particular, had an incredibly beautiful canopy, was up to 9 feet thick and towered 5-3/-9/ with green grace 100 feet or more over that part of the . Willakenzie area. But developers Marvin Knutson and DON Mel Brazier said the trees were in the way of offices Ir . DON �I , �� and shops they want to build. a. - BISHOFF T PEOP ENRAGED by the Coburg Road Massacre — Willakenzie residents Jean Davis and ' Leslie Noxon and tree surgeon Tom McCartney - , have organized a protest at the site at noon today. "We I call ourselves Friends of the Coburg Giants, Now Deceased," Noxon said. "I think there's a deeply felt sentiment for The `M' word heritage trees in Eugene," she said. "But most people feel powerless. What do you do when a large tree has been felled and a little neighborhood has been robbed of noise diffusion, the shade, the oxygen and endan ( �ers trees just the beauty of an old tree ?" G You try to keep it from happening again. Which the V Tree Commission may do. Eventually. "MORATORIUM." Eugene City Councilman It is slowly grinding its way toward drafting a new Randy MacDonald said the dread word. tree preservation ordinance. But it isn't scheduled to "I'd like to see some kind of temporary be finished until next February. moratorium on the cutting of trees over 3 feet in Councilwoman Bascom has been the city's tree diameter until we develop city guidelines," leader and sounded the first alarm about the Coburg MacDonald said at Tuesday night's council meeting. Road trees. But she argued that nothing should be He was hoping that at least three other members done until the commission finishes its work. would help whiz something through that night. Councilman Shawn Boles Ruth Bascom quoted a homily: "No matter how But only weed depressing and slowly you climb, you just must Bascom, the council's Tree Lady, opposed him. remember that things take time." So temporarily protecting some of the city's big old Responded Boles, more given to acerbity than trees is an idea as dead as the two huge trees felled homilies: "How much time do we have? Are we going last month on Coburg Road. Dead unless somebody to get an ordinance in place that protects the last gooses the council into resurrecting it heritage tree ?" But that has to happen quickly. By even saying Before the massacre, the Tree Commission wasn't "moratorium" aloud, MacDonald ran the risk of even looking at legal protection of such trees on triggering citywide clear -cutting of anything that even private property. Now it is. vaguely resembles a "heritage tree. ". A subcommittee is to meet Monday to try to That sort of thing happened just a year ago when produce a legal definition, according to commission the City Council asked for a county moratorium on Chairman Greg Ahlijian. "Once those fundamentals cutting trees in the south hills just outside the city are in place, I think that if more trees are removed limits Some developers almost fell over their chain that are potential heritage trees, a moratorium would saws in their be supported by the commission," he said. • eagerness to level their south hills stands "• BUT WHY WAIT until more come down? Just 10 N _ before Lane County days ago. a huge weeping willow that hung over a ..;%, * could act vacant lot at 15th and Oak was toppled. Was the owner The problem this worried that outrage over the Coburg Road cutting time is that the city might keep him /her from cutting later? Irk 11. Tree Commission Ahlijian has several legitimate worries about a , . ., ; • hasn't even defined moratorium's effects — panic cutting among them. what a heritage tree is But if the commission and council act swiftly, they can and is unwilling to. still get a makeshift moratorium in place in time to do 7 ,.. ' goose the council until at least some good. 1 it does. But, for i moratorium purposes, All the measure has to say is that — until a new the city could fall permanent ordinance is in place — no tree of a MacDonald back on a variation of certain size or age or historical significance may be Randy a Supreme Court cut without a city permit. Give the city's urban Risks clear - cutting justice's definition of forester, Jan Staszewski, authority to grant or deny pornography "I can't permits, with appeals possible to the council. define it, but I know it when I see it" ; �; - : ',. _. That wouldn't stop all big -tree cutting. But it would Anybody who saw the magnificent old big•leaf help assure that no more come down without some say maple and companion black walnut that were from the city and public. whacked down on Coburg Road three weeks ago knti►:- A temporary ordinance probably wouldn't have to that they were genuine heritage trees. They were part be used more than a half -dozen times. But on those of the city's heritage that may have been growing here occasions, it could prevent another before Eugene Skinner arrived. "I was hoping that the council would have the guts to do it immediately," MacDonald said. At this point, it doesn't look like the council will have the guts to do it at ail. _ r 1