Arborist’s report says Hutt Park forest not significantly affected by vandalism

A damaged maple at Hutt Park.
A damaged maple at Hutt Park.

The City of Edmonds has made available the arborist’s report on the status of trees hacked by an unknown vandal in Edmonds’ Hutt Park in late August. The finding: The overall health of the Hutt Park forest “has not been significantly affected by the vandalism.”

The arborist, American Forest Management of Kirkland, recommended three different options for the city to address the damaged trees, ranging in cost from $121,000 to $5,000. The city plans to follow the lowest-cost plan, plan C, “with some adjustments,” said Parks Manager Rich Lindsay.  The city would remove dead trees this winter “and then organize a volunteer work party with neighbors of Hutt Park and concerned citizens for fall planting in 2015,” Lindsay said, adding that would include planting small trees “in locations to promote a healthy forest.”
Citizens are also invited to assist in this effort through financial donations. Those who wish to donate can make checks payable to the City of Edmonds and designate them for Hutt Park. Each donor will receive a receipt and all Hutt Park donations would be tracked.
The report noted that “the expected mortality and resprouting of the trees vandalized has not affected the undamaged trees and most likely will not in the future.” Some of the trees vandalized were “overtopping” some of the redwoods and western red cedar, and in the short term they will respond to increase light levels, the report added.
American Forest Management recommended that all vandalized trees but cut down to within 1 foot of ground level and that each stump be treated to prevent sprouting, which would be undesirable due to “poor attachments just below the hacks” made by the vandals.
Edmonds police haven’t found the vandals who hacked the trees. Laura Martin, who lives near the park, established a GoFundMe.com reward fund for information leading to the arrest of those responsible, and so far $555 has been raised.
Hutt Park is located at 92nd Avenue West and 187th Street Southwest.
  1. This is great news. I spent a good deal of time walking around in the park and was mostly impressed by the amount of time whoever did this spent doing it. They were not particularly skilled with a machete (what I think was probably used to do it), but what they did was time consuming and I’m surprised no one saw or heard anything.

    I still think it is possible it was one or more teenagers, and I hope the public response has convinced them that this is not something they should be doing — not in Hutt Park or anywhere else — and that it will upset people.

  2. Yes, John, I agree – either someone has very bad anger management issues or it was someone kids thinking this is a fun thing to do to nature??? It is very, very sad to think that someone took all this time to hurt something that couldn’t fight back.

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