Luma, a native cedar with two trunks each measuring over 3.5 feet, was a catalyst in our movement to save Seattle’s urban forest. Growing on the edge of an oversized lot, she was originally supposed to be retained throughout the process of splitting the lot in half and building three homes on each half. After the lot split and construction plans were approved, it emerged that the tree’s canopy diameter had been measured incorrectly. Instead of re-drawing the lot split boundary and altering the placement of the new homes, the developer asked to remove Luma, which SDCI approved.

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Word of the impending removal spread as neighbors gathered in a gratitude ceremony to honor Luma. Within days a group of brave activists called Droplet began a tree sit in Luma to protest the approval and destructive law. They lived in Luma for a month, refusing to leave until her protection was guaranteed. The tree sit was an inspiration to this movement, and people from around the world visited Luma and her defenders.

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News of Luma made its way to the Snoqualmie tribe. The Snoqualmie tribe assessed that Luma is a Culturally Modified Tree (CMT), as the first people in Seattle bent her branches at certain angles as a signpost for a trail between Lake Washington and Lake Union. Even though CMTs are protected at the state level, SDCI refused to withdraw their permit to cut Luma.

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Ultimately, the Snoqualmie Tribe and Droplet saved Luma. The Tribe enlisted the support of the Washington State Department of Archeology and Historic Preservation to uphold their sovereignty. Droplet refused to leave Luma until a plan was in place to develop the lot without cutting the tree.