Beacon Avenue Trees Update: More Than 30 Trees Are Being Evaluated for Possible Removal

Earlier this month, the Emerald covered a story about 67 Beacon Avenue trees with Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) notifications announcing that the trees may need to be removed due to sidewalk repairs. SDOT posted the tree retention evaluation notices in late February. Thirty-four trees along the east and west sides of Beacon Avenue South between South Juneau Street and South Monterey Place are now safe from removal amid upcoming sidewalk repair projects. The fates of 33 trees along the 5-block stretch remain to be determined.

After the Emerald reached out to the City about the timing for the evaluation and possible removal of the trees, which, according to the notices, would have been within 14 days after posting, SDOT staff returned to Beacon Avenue South last week and removed notices from trees they were confident wouldn't be affected by the project, according to press secretary Ethan Bergerson. Trees that still have notices taped to them will receive careful evaluations before they're deemed for removal or safe to stay.

In an email, Bergerson wrote that removing a tree is the "last resort."

"The sidewalks along Beacon Ave S are not very wide and some of the trees have outgrown the space to accommodate them," Bergerson wrote. "In several locations where the tree roots have uplifted the sidewalk, raising the sidewalks above the roots would make the sidewalk higher than the adjacent driveways and connected residential paths to people's doorways. At these complex locations, pavement engineers will consult arborists to consider options which have worked at similar projects before a decision is made on how to proceed."

Construction staging has begun and will continue over the coming weeks with initial sidewalk repairs that will not affect trees. At this time, concrete may be removed so arborists can examine root systems and normal pruning may be done.