Doug the Fir was a mature, native, and healthy Douglas fir in the back of a lot being developed by Legacy Group Capital -- the same company developing on Luma’s lot. 

Legacy informed the selling homeowner that this tree would be retained through development, and even shared a drawing showing the tree next to new homes which was shared with neighbors. After the purchase, they scrapped these plans and submitted plans to Seattle’s building department that would require the removal of Doug for an additional — and unnecessary — parking space. Their permit was approved because Doug’s trunk was one-inch under the threshold for protection.

Once the bait-and-switch was discovered, neighbors were outraged. Tree Action Seattle held a gathering at a neighbor's house to raise awareness of this removal and rally to save it. Our public awareness efforts caught the eye of local stations King5 and KOMO.

Doug was Illegally Removed

The movement to save Doug was cut short by Pacific Tree Management, who illegally removed Doug without a public notice of removal. “Doug’s Defenders” bravely stood under the tree to attempt to stop the illegal removal, but were removed at the threat of a trespassing charge. Code-compliance inspectors with the city building department were called during the illegal removal, and even though they conceded the removal was illegal, they did nothing about it at the moment.