On Monday, July 27, a large Douglas fir tree, estimated to be 45 feet high, was cut down at an apartment building on 9th Avenue Northwest. Onlooker John Faith, a 14-year Ballard resident, witnessed the incident with skepticism.

“In the neighborhood, it seemed like one of the largest trees, so that’s why it seemed kind of unusual to me,” said Faith.

Faith spoke with many of the tenants in the apartment building about it.

“They were in shock,” said Faith, “I know that others [in the apartment] weren’t informed.”

The landlord of the apartment complex, who wished to remain nameless, arranged for the tree to be taken down.

“The tree was causing problems with my building for a long time,” said the landlord, “I loved the tree, but every winter, it floods.”

According to the landlord, the tree had been causing damage for some time. Parts of the tree would fall off and build up in the gutter, causing drainage issues, especially during the high rain season.

The city council passed two ordinances on Aug. 3 aimed at protecting the city's urban forest. Faith wondered if the removal of the Ballard tree violated those ordinances, which were at that time still being considered by the council.

An inspector was brought in by the city to examine whether the tree was "exceptional," and protected under the city's tree protection laws.

“There is a director’s rule that sets thresholds for different types of trees as to when they’re exceptional or not below that threshold,” said Alan Justad, the deputy director at the department for planning and development.

"This species of tree, Douglas Fir, must be 30 inches or greater in order to be protected as exceptional," said Bryan Stevens, the city's industrial permit liaison for the planning department. "As measured by the inspector, the tree was only 24 inches in diameter. Since the tree was not exceptional, the property owner was allowed to have it removed."

The ordinance passed Aug. 3 requests that the planning department write new regulations that consider preventing tree removal in required yards and setbacks, create a permitting system and fines for non-permitted tree removal, provide clearer direction for tree relocation and develop incentives for retention.