A 75-Foot Redwood Was Set to Be Cut Down—Then 200 People Fought Back
The California redwoods are unlike any other trees on this planet. They provide a natural habitat for so many animals, like the endangered marbled murrelets, and they work to capture carbon dioxide to help slow the effects of climate change.
And that doesn’t even get into the cultural significance these trees have. The National Park Service says that there are several Indigenous cultures that hold these trees in the highest regard, including the Hupa, Tolowa, Yurok, and Karuk tribes.
But in one Santa Rosa community, a rogue redwood tree has gained a lot of attention after the city planned to remove the towering structure. According to Local News Matters, a 75-foot redwood tree was on the chopping block recently when the tree’s root system began to push up the sidewalk around it.
The tree, nicknamed Rosie, became the center of a massive fight between local homeowners and the city, which ultimately came to a head at a recent meeting where the Planning Commission was forced to vote on Rosie’s fate. Fortunately for the tree, the city said it was open to creative suggestions, giving the tree some breathing room.
‘Rosie’ is a Beloved Member of the Community
Cracked sidewalk vs. heritage redwood: Santa Rosa debates fate of 75-foot ‘Rosie’
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It may sound odd to consider a tree as a member of a community, but that’s exactly what residents have called Rosie in letters to City Hall, according to Local News Matters. In fact, a petition to save the tree with around 200 signatures basically says just that. The petition was organized by a group that goes by the name Friends of Rosie, and they have organized to save the tree from removal, sending 60 letters to City Hall in the process.
This was all started after a property owner obtained a permit to cut the tree down when its roots began pushing up the sidewalk and nearby driveway.
Some Believe the Tree Poses a Risk to the Neighborhood
According to Local News Matters, a homeowner from the McDonald Historic District was contacted after Rosie’s roots began raising and breaking the sidewalk and driveway next to the tree. Because of the way the rules work, the homeowner was responsible for the damage and was given the option to apply for permission to have the tree removed or to come up with a solution to fix the sidewalk.
The owner decided that the tree’s removal was the best course of action, and applied for a permit to have the tree cut down. But once the community got wind of it, they started pushing for the city to cancel the permit under Santa Rosa’s Tree Ordinances, which the outlet says protect heritage redwoods.
The Fight Went to a Vote
On Oct. 9, KSRO-AM reported that the Santa Rosa Planning Commission sided with the community and blocked the removal of the tree. That means that the property owners are now left with one of two options: they can either appeal the commission’s decision, or they can find a creative way to repair the sidewalk.
The topic drew a lot of attention on Reddit, where a post about the tree prompted some backlash.
“Explain how you’re going to ‘raise the sidewalk.’ That tree is sandwiched between two curb cuts. One of them is for an actual driveway and garage. How is it going to meet ADA and CASP requirements? How long until the roots start damaging plumbing and sewer laterals,” one person wrote. “I’m all about the trees, but this one is four or five bad things waiting to happen.”
“I love a good tree. But how far do we take this? Should we reduce Spring Street to a single lane? Thereafter this tree and all trees can have accommodations with delightful and whimsical winding sidewalks and bike paths,” another person wrote, listing out several outlandish suggestions which included banning homeowners from using the street.
While it doesn’t seem like there’s any one perfect solution, it does sound like at least 200 people in the neighborhood are hoping that there’s something that can be done that doesn’t involve removing Rosie from the community. Whether that’s a realistic endeavor or not remains to be seen.
