HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-23-24 Public Comment - A. Kociolek - Ponderosa Pine at 5th and Main Development Site - Project 22176From:Angela Kociolek
To:Bozeman Public Comment
Subject:[EXTERNAL]Ponderosa Pine at 5th and Main Development Site - Project 22176
Date:Tuesday, April 23, 2024 9:59:37 AM
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Greetings - This public comment is intended for the City Commission, Historic Preservation Board,Urban Parks and Forestry Board, Sustainability Board, and Community Development Board. It
refers to Project 22176. Thank you.
Dear City Commission, Historic Preservation Board, Urban Parks and Forestry Board, Sustainability
Board, and Community Development Board -
The mature Ponderosa Pine tree at 5th and Main has captured the hearts of Bozemanites. You mayhave been one of the more than 150 citizens who added their names to Save the Ponderosa. Or know
someone who said they would chain themselves to the tree if it came to that.
With its age - estimated to be as old as Bozeman itself - and its towering stature, this Ponderosa Pinetree serves as a symbol of Bozeman’s urban forest as a whole.
Bozeman urban forest and heritage trees should be protected, not taken down willy nilly whendeemed inconvenient or not perfect specimens. The fate of this Ponderosa Pine (recently nominatedfor a Historic Preservation Award) and the equally impressive conifers at the site of the existing
Medical Arts Building soon to be The Henry 2.0 are all slated to be taken down. The excuse for thePonderosa Pine’s removal is a damaged root system. What’s the excuse for the anticipated removalof the Medical Arts trees? There will always be an excuse.
It’s time for Bozeman to get serious about tree protection. To me, it’s about a humble respect for lifeas well as the ecological function, ecosystem services, and health benefits trees provide us all.
I’ve heard about the inspections that question the health of the Ponderosa Pine and the plan to utilize
the wood, but have any creative solutions been explored to boost the health of the tree? And whatreally is the harm of allowing this tree to age in place? These questions have not been adequatelyanswered.
Given that the tree sits on a future parking lot, surely a monitoring schedule can preempt anypotential damage to cars. If and when the tree is facing its imminent demise due to natural causes,then it may make sense to remove it - but not until then. And surely not during bird breeding seasonfrom April through July.
To cut down this Ponderosa Pine because it may not meet a specific standard despite its stoicismover the years while enduring development impacts would be shortsighted to say the least. TheCIty’s involvement in Gallatin Valley Earth Day and being an Arbor Day Foundation Tree City are
wonderful but allowing this Ponderosa Pine tree to age in place is where the truly meaningful actionlies. The Ponderosa Pine may still have decades of life left in it. Who knows? Let’s wait and seewhat this tree can teach us.
Please, each of you, do your part to encourage the developer to spare the Ponderosa Pine. TheHistoric Preservation Department talked about a plaque commemorating where this tree once stood.How about we install a plaque to celebrate its life while it still stands - a monument to our City’sheritage and our commitment to protecting trees into our future. This would be a statement of
Bozeman’s commitment to resiliency, equity, and stewardship, values that sound nice but needaction to make them true.
Sincerely,
Angie Kociolek