I am a resident of Mountain Villa Retirement Community, owned by Cal-Am Properties out of Costa Mesa, California. On Thursday, Aug. 23rd, I received notice from the office on-site here in Enumclaw, that my beautiful 25 foot tall blue spruce that sits in front of my mobile home is to be cut down. Other residents of this park who have trees in front of their mobile homes and are adjacent to the street have also received this notice. The removal of these trees is going to begin September 4th and will continue through Sept. 14th. Since receiving this notice I began a petition opposing the removal of these trees and collected my last signature on Aug. 30th. This park contains 163 lots, all of which are not occupied and some of which have mobile homes that are for sale. Still, I collected 115 signatures opposing the removal of these trees. It is understandable that there are some who would like to see these trees removed for their own personal reasons, and if they are disease or dying I completely agree they must be removed. But in walking around this park I, not being an arborist, didn’t see these trees as diseased or infested with insects. I was told by some residents that trees on their lot not lining the streets needed to come down because they are dying or present a danger to their homes. Some of these same residents have asked to have these trees removed yet they remain.

I am aware that this is privately owned land and that Cal-Am has the legal right to do what they wish with this property but I also think that the residents who live on this property should at least have a say as to what is done within their community. For those who have a healthy tree in front of their home and at the edge of the road but still would like to see the tree removed I would be sad at the loss but it is their choice as they may not like the needles in their gutters or the pine cones in their yards. For those of us, like myself, who appreciate the beauty of their tree and enjoy watching the many birds that frequent these trees and the fragrance that enters our home during the summer because of that tree it is heartbreaking to see them cut down. These trees bring beauty to our community and make our Park feel more like home and not just a large parking lot with metal buildings on it!

If you feel this Earth needs more trees, not less, and our community, which is one of a handful throughout the country that is called “Tree City,” should retain it’s warm and welcoming environment, please let your voice be heard and help stop the killing of our trees!

Jane Millard

Enumclaw