State: 'The tree must remain'

White Salmon city staff said a written agreement has not been made available to city officials, but according to Paul Koch, interim city administrator, the city is expecting a contract that would authorize a "bulb-out curb," in addition to a new crosswalk, to provide ample space for the tree while fixing damage to the roadway and sidewalks and bringing them into compliance with ADA (American Disability Act) standards.

The state department would provide funding to complete the improvements in exchange for the city taking on the costs of maintenance of the tree moving forward. He added that WSDOT officials’ opinion is that “the tree must remain.”

In the city’s 2023 budget, $5,000 has been made available for yearly maintenance plus an additional $25,000 in reserve for initial costs associated with providing a solution to the tree.

According to Ryan Adams with the city’s public works department, the tree is not in a suitable location given its root system, and is not native to the area. Normally, American sweetgum trees can be found in river swamps and streams of the southeast and south central U.S., which “allows for a strong taproot and minimal lateral rooting, which has definitely been an issue with the tree.”

Adams said its lateral root system has caused damage to the sidewalks and road that surrounds it, and has potentially caused damage to the foundations of nearby buildings.

“This has the potential to further damage any new sidewalks placed near it and could pose a real threat to future lawsuits concerning property damage to nearby foundations,” he said.

By performing yearly maintenance on the root system to prevent further damage to its surroundings, he said this could shorten the tree’s lifespan, which ranges from 100 to 150 years when not in its native habitat. The tree has been there since at least the 1930s, he said. He argued for the tree’s removal during last Wednesday’s city council meeting.

“There is a high potential, in my opinion, that we may lose this tree sooner than we want to under its own volition, due to the conditions that it’s under right now. The sooner we could remove the tree that is on the way out and put something fresh in that is appropriate for the location, that will not cause damage to anything surrounding it, the sooner our children will be able to enjoy having a wonderful canopy cover in that area again,” he said.

City Administrator Troy Rayburn voiced his concern with potential legal issues that could arise due to the tree’s situation and condition.

City Staff Assistant Jan Brending said WSDOT’s purview normally stops at the curb, meaning that the city could potentially have some leeway to decide for themselves what to do with the tree, although that may affect the potential funding agreement.

A bulb-out curb would also eliminate two existing parking spots in the downtown corridor.