The city of Lakewood is considering approving a permit that would allow a landowner to cut down an oak tree that is at least 900 years old to make way for a semi-truck park.
When The News Tribune visited the facility in Woodbrook Industrial Park on Wednesday afternoon, birds could be heard chirping in the tree’s massive branches.
The 3.8 acres of vacant land are covered with tree stumps. Public records show that between 2023 and 2024, the property owner cut down 70 trees at 7319 146th St. SW without authorization. According to a Jan. 5 letter, the city of Lakewood fined the property owner $1,130,724 for “reckless clearcutting,” but the fine has been reduced to $346,920.
A Gary Oak estimated to be at least 900 years old stands on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Lakewood, Washington. Semi-truck and trailer parking is planned for the site.
(Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)
According to a Jan. 16 city memo, Emerson Lake Business Park has proposed a truck and trailer park expansion associated with the industrial business park’s existing parking lot. Representatives for applicant Jason Hubbell and landowner Jane Yin, as well as Emerson Lake Business Park, did not respond to requests for comment from The News Tribune. Tax records show the property has an assessed value of $1.6 million as of 2025.
City Communications Manager Kelie Kahler said the original $1,130,724 fine was based on a preliminary estimate of the supposed impact and that the city was unable to access the property for full verification at the time. Kahler said a request for information has been sent to the applicant to update the tree survey to determine how many trees were cut, how big they were and the corresponding mitigation costs required by municipal code.
Kahler said Emerson Lake Business Park is trying to retroactively obtain tree felling permits to address the unauthorized felling of the 70 trees. Three other permits to develop the site are under review, including a conditional use permit, which will be determined by a hearing officer, Kahler said. As of Feb. 6, no public hearing had been scheduled, she said.
Lakewood resident Christina Manetti, founder of the nonprofit Garry Oak Coalition, said the 900-year-old tree is the largest she has ever seen in Lakewood. It will be 60 inches in diameter, according to the Emerson Lake Business Park 2025 Environmental Assessment completed by Soundview Consultants LLC. That means the tree was growing before Genghis Khan was born, before the Gothic cathedral was built, and before the Italian Renaissance, Manetti said. It is probably over 900 years old.
Christina Manetti, founder and president of the Garry Oak Coalition, looks out at a field where a Garry Oak estimated to be at least 900 years old stands on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, in Lakewood, Washington. A semi-truck and trailer park is being planned for the site.
(Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)
An environmental assessment of the trees and wetlands showed the large Oregon white oak (or gary oak) has a “complete and healthy” canopy with “few defects” and some invasive ivy. The canopy area is 5,012 square feet. As The News Tribune previously reported, the Gary Oak is protected locally and statewide.
According to Lakewood’s municipal code, developers must submit a tree retention plan, landscaping plan and irrigation plan to the city before approving any building or land use permits.
Manetti was not a scientist but an engaged citizen who oversaw the city’s development proposals and was passionate about environmental protection.
“this [tree] Super old. It’s really shocking to even consider cutting it down,” Manetti said. “It’s adjacent to wetlands, which are also protected… which is important for water infiltration. This is important for sequestering carbon and cleaning the water we drink. “
She points to the massive Amazon warehouse next door, which has a huge parking lot.
A Gary Oak estimated to be at least 900 years old stands in Lakewood on Wednesday, February 4, 2026. Plans are underway for a semi-truck and trailer park at the site.
(Liesbeth Powers/lpowers@thenewstribune.com)
“Especially with these things they’re building here, all these impervious surfaces they’re adding and all the runoff,” Manetti said. “It’s terrible to take down the trees that help us mitigate the damage caused by events like this.”
Nine residents, including Manetti, testified at the Feb. 2 Lakewood City Council meeting in support of saving the trees and wetlands. Some reminded the City Council that the city will designate the Gary Oak as Lakewood’s official tree in 2022. The city’s goal is to achieve 40% tree canopy coverage in the city by 2050.