There was a tree survey back in March 2021 that went out to all Lacey residents from the city of Lacey, included in a Virtual Open House on Climate Change. Residents overwhelmingly voiced tree protections. Overwhelmingly! We are the constituents, and we already spoke. Why are we being ignored? We can not replace our established trees by replanting, and that is and will be extremely difficult to enforce. Lacey already has a problem with enforcement, partially due to time and budget. Then, there's the issue of watering and caring for a newly planted tree. With upwards and over 100 degree heat during our summers in Washington, and extreme drought, we are already seeing our trees struggle. Young trees are having a tough time with these hot conditions, and need more water. Water is a finite resource, and Lacey proves that fact with water restrictions. Our large trees protect our drinking water in the entire community. Taking down trees on the basis of being a “nuisance” opens Pandora’s box. I can call out a lot of nuisances in the city that aren’t trees. My experience tells me the truth is this: leaves fall and are messy, my car gets pitch and needles on it, I’m tired of raking debris from trees, my roof has to be cleaned, etc., etc. The odds of a branch falling on your car or house is very, very rare, but can be avoided with proper care and pruning. We lose too many resources by removing a healthy tree--including the much needed shade in the summer. Home maintenance costs money. Painting your house, or replacing a leaky roof for example. Proper pruning, with the help of an arborist, is home maintenance, and can help eliminate any "nuisance" a healthy tree may impose. Large trees increase our property values in Lacey. There is so much to say regarding the benefits of protecting our trees, but let me close by saying this--as Lacey residents, we need to speak up and demand the tree protections stay in place with no changes to the rules. We're done beating this to death.
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