By Eric Mathison

Note: For many years Eric Mathison was the Editor of the Highline Times. His family donated their property in Burien to the city which opened Mathison Park on Sept.15, 2006

The Port of Seattle has announced its plans for the destruction of several majestic native Douglas Firs at Mathison Park.

They plan to destroy the trees between fall and the end of the year. That is a 6-month reprieve from their original plan to cut them last Spring without citizen or city council comment.

This is part of their Flight Corridor Management Program although Mathison Park is not in Sea-Tac’s flight path, at least not yet. Residents along the Sound in Des Moines, Normandy Park and Burien should expect planes to start taking a shortcut over their homes toward the runways as part of the Port’s attempt to serve as many new passengers as if they were building a fourth runway.

The map at Mathison Park and online is pretty hard to follow. I am not sure the trees to be destroyed are the same ones Port staffers pointed out to the Port commissioners and me. They are certainly not the ones painted with numbers after we demanded they identify which trees they were targeting. And they are certainly not the ones closest to the flight path and airport. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

As expected, the replacement trees are foreign to the Pacific Northwest. But I did not expect that some of the trees would be invasive species and prone to breaking in storms with shallow roots that upend sidewalks.

Let’s take a look at the foreign replacements:

Hackberry—Best grown in the Mississippi Valley but Southern Living Magazine warns it is “one of 6 trees you should never, ever plant.” Especially in suburban areas like Burien, the brittle wood is prone to breaking in storms and the shallow root systems destroy sidewalks. People debate whether this is a “junk tree.” And what about the aphids?

Lacebark Elms—Listed as an invasive species in 6 states. Weak wood can break in storms. Seeds spread aggressively. Native to Eastern Asia.

White Oak— Root systems are highly invasive. A hardwood from eastern and central United States.

Black Tupelo—Native to Mississippi, eastern North America, central Florida, eastern Texas and Mexico. Nice fall display but messy fruit litter causes slippery sidewalks. If we had to have a Tupelo tree, I would have preferred a white Tupelo where bees use the nectar to make the famous sweet Tupelo Honey. By the way, “Tupelo” in native American language translates as “Swamp Tree.”

Shore Pine—It is the only native tree selected and it does have a high tolerance for salt spray. But Mathison Park is near the highest spot in Burien, far away from any shore.

My parents moved to this five-acre, hill-top spot in the 1940s because my mother loved trees—magnificent Pacific Northwest Douglas Firs and other native trees. Instead of getting rich by selling off the land, Dad donated it to the city of Burien so the public could have the same wonderful experience my four siblings and I had growing up.

We never thought it would become a junk tree museum.