Judge prevents felling of 400-year-old tree in Tumwater

OLYMPIA — Thurston County Superior Court Judge Sharonda Amamilo issued a temporary restraining order Friday that prevents the city of Tumwater from chopping down a 400-year-old Garry oak that is listed on the Tumwater Register of Historic Places.

An attorney for the group Save the Davis Meeker Garry Oak obtained the order to prevent what the group calls “a needless and improperly applied use of city power to destroy the historic tree.”

“Tumwater’s mayor spearheaded the misuse of a city code designed to protect historic structures and essentially turned the code on its head to claim it allows the cutting down of this historic tree without a permit,” said attorney Ronda Larson Kramer in a statement. “The city has now filed a motion to vacate the judge’s protection, ignoring the wishes of the citizens and the earlier decision by their own Historic Preservation Commission to retain the tree.”

Members of the Save the Davis Meeker Garry Oak gathered Saturday afternoon at the tree for a celebration to honor its role as an important route marker along the historic Cowlitz Trail. The tree is near the intersection of Capitol Boulevard and Almar Lane Southeast.

The tree’s historical name reflects its status as a landmark on the Cowlitz section of the Oregon Trail. The Cowlitz Trail was a north-south trail used for millennia by tribal nations. Later, the tree was a landmark used by white settlers heading to what is now Washington.

The Garry oak is a state-protected species, and the Davis Meeker tree was listed on the Tumwater Register of Historic Places in 1995.

“This tree is still a landmark today, reminding us of our many cultural roots and of those who have passed this way for thousands of years,” said Michelle Peterson, group spokesperson.