Only stumps remain where trees once stood on a property at the corner of 19th and Ada streets in Boise’s North End neighborhood, Thursday, July 8, 2021.
Only stumps remain where trees once stood on a property at the corner of 19th and Ada streets in Boise’s North End neighborhood, Thursday, July 8, 2021.
Late last year, a family renovating a North End property unwittingly demolished 10 mature trees without a necessary permit, writes Idaho Press reporter Ryan Suppe North Enders, and others, bent on maintaining the City of Trees’ historic character and natural amenities, say it was the latest example of a trending problem.
Restoration and remodeling projects are threatening the appeal of Boise’s oldest neighborhoods, they say, and the city should take a more active role in enforcing guidelines to maintain historic districts.
Kate Henwood co-chairs the North End Neighborhood Association’s Historic Preservation Committee, a group that advises neighbors and government bodies on issues that may impact the area’s historical integrity. When she’s not “sprinting from chainsaw noise to chainsaw noise” herself, Henwood acts as a sort of liaison between policymakers and North End residents, including those upset by the tree removals near 19th and Ada streets. Last year’s illegal tree removal is exactly the type of phenomenon she hopes to prevent.
“The loss is just really disorienting and obviously upsetting to the folks who have been looking at them and enjoying them for years and years,” she said of the trees.
You can read Suppe's full story here at idahopress.com (subscription required), or pick up today's Sunday/Monday Idaho Press; it's on the front page.
Betsy Z. Russell is the Boise bureau chief and state capitol reporter for the Idaho Press and Adams Publishing Group. Follow her on Twitter at @BetsyZRussell.
