Jose, a 3-foot diameter fir at 827 NE 98th St, predated the entire neighborhood. But that didn’t stop SDCI from granting approval to remove this tree for a parking space and storage shed.

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A year and a half after the developer tried to illegally cut down the other firs on this same lot over a holiday weekend when no one was looking, Jose, the largest tree on the lot, was cut down. An independent architect provided drawings showing an efficient design that would provide the same number and size of homes without removing Jose, but SDCI approved the version of the plan giving the developer maximum profits instead.

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We gathered to share our gratitude for Jose the Fir and show SDCI that we don’t support the wholesale deforestation of our city in exchange for tree-destroying lot sprawl and a few more bucks for housing developers. Just before our gathering and before the permit to remove Jose was final, Jose’s trunk was deeply cut with a chainsaw, destabilizing this huge tree and putting neighbors and passersby in extreme danger. This was reported to SDCI but no investigation was done. Prior to the legal notice required for tree removals, two men in an unmarked rental vehicle and no Tree Service Provider identification cut Jose down on October 26, 2023. SDCI was called but refused to investigate.