Protect our trees: Garry Oaks - Puget Sound Ecosystems

If you live in the Puget Sound, you might have seen the thick, beautiful, round oaks that live in the woodland. These trees are Garry Oaks. Garry Oaks are endemic to the Pacific Northwest and are a crucial building block of the Garry Oak ecosystem, and many species are dependent for the Garry Oaks for survival, such as the Gall Wasp and many others.

Before European colonization, Native Americans did prescribed burnings on Garry Oak woodland, which was actually crucial to the survival of Garry Oaks. Their competitors, Douglas Firs, easily outcompete Garry Oaks in the woodland and slowly kill them off when invading the woodland. The only reason Garry Oaks survived is because they are fire resistant, and Douglas Firs are not, and Douglas Firs perished in the Native Americans' burnings.

After European colonization, however, the Native Americans stopped their burnings. The Douglas Firs now could invade the Oak woodland. Now, Garry Oaks have protected status in Washington state, but the amount that this is enforced is dependent on the specific city's regulations.

I live in Lakewood, Washington and the City of Lakewood only requires permits if your property is under a certain amount of square footage. This is a horrible regulation. Our neighbor two houses down, just moved to the U.S. from Kenya about a year ago. Soon after he bought the house, he cut down thirteen Garry Oaks on his property and sold the wood to a predatory logging company, which pressures people to log their trees and sell them.

These trees were killed during birds' nestings season, and all of the hatchlings probably perished.

Protect our trees and inform the public that trees are important. Otherwise, there will be nothing left and only those greedy for money will profit. Don't let the greedy profit from the destruction of the environment.