Town Council to consider the future of the Dutch elms of Memorial Park

The Friday Harbor Town Council could determine the path forward for the two ailing Dutch elm trees at the foot of Spring Street as early as next week.

“There is definitely more work to be done on the trees,” says Town Administrator Denice Kulseth. Urban Tree Services/Bartlett Consulting, the arborist with whom the Town is working, has laid out a 12-year recovery plan, she says.

“Before I take this to Council, I need additional information and some clarifications from the arborist. I’m also working on gathering information on the costs to carry out the arborist’s plan. I hope to take this to Council on August 18, but that will largely depend on how timely I receive answers to my questions.”

The Council will be asked to consider the level of risk presented by keeping the trees, the costs to keep them, and the costs to replace them.

A large branch from the northernmost tree fell on the night of June 2, taking out a streetlamp, blocking the bottom of the Spring Street traffic circle, and closing access to Memorial Park. Preliminary inspections by certified arborists identified the cause as severe rot. The Town was then directed to alleviate excess weight in the tree that lost the limb, as well as to remove dead and dying limbs in other tree. That work was completed on June 13.

The two elms were planted in May 1922 by the Women’s Study Club as a memorial to those lost in WWI, with one representing Army losses and one representing Navy losses.

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