“anything we can do to save the beautiful tree?”

“Dear PoPville,

We were very saddened to learn recently that a big black walnut tree in the backyard of a neighboring lot at 1453 Girard Street NW is scheduled to be chopped down. The tree is gorgeous, very old, and healthy. I’m attaching a photograph of it here.

The lot on which the tree sits at 1453 Girard Street NW can support two parking spots, but the developers who bought the lot and the developers who bought the neighboring lot at 1451 Girard Street NW each want to pop up to 5 units, which requires 3 parking spots per lot. The only way 1451 and 1453 Girard Street NW can support 3 parking spots each instead of 2 parking spots each is for the two lots to share a driveway easement where the tree sits, and to chop down the tree.

The D.C. Urban Forestry Administration has advised us as follows:

The healthy Black Walnut tree behind address 1453 Girard St NW has a current TOPS application (#8186) for Special Tree Removal and the permit application is currently in the Approved (Pending Payment) status. The neighboring property representative, Sima Tessema [a land developer] at 1451 Girard St NW, has permission from the manager/owner 1453 Girard St NW, Amit Vora of SHG Development LLC. to submit application to remove the tree. The tree requires compensation due to its good health. As per the Urban Forest Preservation Act, this is the procedure to be followed for trees above 55’’ circumference on private property that an owner wishes to remove.

We are wondering, do you know of anything we can do to save the beautiful tree?“