Portlanders rally to save giant sequoia

PORTLAND, Ore. (KGW/NBC News) Standing an estimated 100 feet tall, and more than 120 inches in diameter, a sequoia tree is a staple in Portland’s Sabin neighborhood.

“It’s a neighbor to me,” says Shelby Wright. “It’s a living thing I’ve had by my home and as part of my life for more than a decade.”

Perhaps nobody knows what Wright is feeling more than Claire Bollinger. Part of the giant sequoia tree sits on her and her partner’s property.

“Sequoia trees are incredibly long-lived,” says Bollinger. “They’re incredibly healthy, incredibly sturdy trees.”

And in this case, they are incredibly problematic. The tree’s root system has damaged the foundation of a home on a neighboring property. That homeowner, for years, has worked with the city to come up with a fix, but nothing has ever come to fruition. The city is now ordering that homeowner and Bollinger to get rid of the towering sequoia.

Bollinger believes the city has lacked transparency throughout the whole process. She thinks the city should be doing more to save the decades-old tree and less to save the unoccupied, damaged home.

Read more: https://bit.ly/34BwvM6

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