Community-Led Conservation Expose Illegal Logging
Felled tree in Grand Ridge Park, photo courtesy of Alex Brown.
By Hannah Wheeler, IATC Advocacy Commitee Member
King County is pursuing legal action against a group of neighbors who allegedly are responsible for damage to over 100 trees in Grand Ridge Park.
Alex Brown is an Issaquah resident who uses trail cameras around his property to document the comings and goings of the wildlife near Grand Ridge Park. One Saturday afternoon, the trail camera notified Alex that it had captured some movement—but not of wildlife. The video shows a very large, fully de-limbed Douglas-fir tree barreling “downhill like a javelin” as described by Alex, before hitting a log and stopping just before Alex’s driveway.
King County’s complaint notes that the “negligently cut” tree nearly crossed the street “posing a risk of serious injury or death to innocent bystanding pedestrians and vehicles.”
Photo courtesy of Alex Brown.
Photo courtesy of Alex Brown.
The straight cut line at the base of the fallen tree indicated that it hadn’t simply fallen down—but was cut intentionally. Alex and a neighbor “followed the path of destruction up a really steep slope” and discovered stumps of other trees that had been recently cut. Alex also recalled hearing chainsaws up the hill earlier that day but didn’t think much of it until he saw the sawdust. They were told by another neighbor that “three property owners…hired an arborist to do tree trimming.” They claimed the arborist cut the trees inside Grand Ridge Park without being directed to do so, which coincidentally improved their view of Tiger Mountain.
Photo courtesy of Alex Brown.
Concerned that the cutting had been done illegally and that other felled trees may come down and cause damage, Alex contacted the Issaquah Alps Trails Club and King County to report the problem. King County documented 142 affected trees, seventy-two of which were limbed up, forty-five were cut down, eighteen were topped, and seven others were otherwise damaged. Alex wrote to the club, “there are many downed trees still sitting precariously in the ravine above our houses, and we're also concerned about landslide risk.”
The steep slopes in Grand Ridge Park increase the risk of soil erosion and landslides with the loss of these trees. Illegally cutting down trees also reduces wildlife habitat, opportunity for carbon sequestration, and degrades the local ecosystem. Even trees that aren’t completely cut down—in this case those that were limbed-up, topped, or de-barked—face increased risk of disease and pest infestation, reduced lifespan, slow death, and are more likely to become hazardous trees in the future. The loss of an intact forest structure also makes the remaining trees more vulnerable to windstorms. Though one of the homeowners behind the tree cutting told King 5 the work was done "for his family's safety," the work has likely created significantly more hazards. Those who cut down trees illegally face steep fines and possible jail time.
Photo courtesy of Alex Brown.
This doesn’t stop illegal tree cutting. In late 2015, homeowners in West Seattle cut down 153 trees—also along a steep slope and in a critical habitat area. The act resulted in two lawsuits, which took two years to settle, and settlement payments which totaled over $800,000. At one point, the City even considered pursuing felony charges. Just a month ago, the City of Mercer Island announced that it is investigating illegal tree removal from approximately 2,500 square feet of a steep slope in Luther Burbank Park.
In this case, in Grand Ridge Park, King County acted quickly once the IATC was able to connect Alex to the right people. Alex was “impressed by how quickly the County responded once things got moving, and how often they came.” The County is pursuing legal action—they filed a court case on June 6—and are pursuing compensation related to the value of the trees and costs associated with repairing the damage. The trees were “preliminarily estimated at a value over two and a third million dollars” according to the County’s filing, though the actual damages to be paid will be determined through legal proceedings. Washington law includes "treble damages" for timber trespass violations, meaning the actual penalty could be close to $7 million. Additionally, the County’s case filing indicates that County law also allows for penalties to be pursued at “an amount of the economic benefit derived by the violation, including but not limited to any increased value of their homes in unlawfully creating improved views of West Tiger Mountain.” This means the County may be able to recover the value added to the properties through improved views.
Photo courtesy of Alex Brown.
Unfortunately, these types of illegal cuttings are not uncommon—and they’re likely to continue. IATC Advisory Board Member and Issaquah resident Ken Konigsmark commented, “These types of illegal tree cutting seem to routinely continue around our area, likely because the violators believe they can simply get away with it or, at worst, receive a slight penalty, which costs them far less than the additional property value gained by creating a new view through illegal cutting…these people destroyed a healthy, mature forest on OUR public lands while also risking injury and damage to adjoining neighbors. They must be prosecuted criminally, fined to the highest possible level, and required to fully restore the forest to the degree possible after their horrendous damage.”
In this case, Alex and his neighbors were lucky that the felled log didn’t cause more damage to their properties—though the damage to the ecosystem has been done, and it will likely take years of efforts to restore its functions.
The Issaquah Alps Trails Club urges its members to report these kinds of illegal tree-cutting cases to the appropriate authorities, not only to protect our ecosystems but also to make sure it’s clear that this behavior won’t be tolerated on our public lands.
Learn more about IATC’s history of advocacy and current initiatives.