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Having served, and Chaired, both the City Parks Commission and the (former) Tree Committee at various times over the past 40+ years, as well as having conducted the state-funded Port Townsend Tree Survey (1985-87) I am well informed of the history of the poplars, which not only line Sims Way, but also the south and west edges of Kah Tai Lagoon.

They were planted as a quick fix after the dredge spoils from the Boat Haven were spread north of Sims Way in 1964. The downside of poplars, which have long fallen out of favor in most American cities, is that they are brittle, short-lived, and their roots disrupt sidewalks and other paved areas..

Now is the right time to plant a new generation of trees for the long term. The quick fix lasted 60 years which coincides with the estimated life span of Lombardy poplar.

One of the most compatible near-shore trees that is longer-lived, and a good match for a 170-year-old historic community, is Shore Pine. Lower Sims Way is one of most windy, exposed areas here, and poplars, being narrow columnar trees, do nothing to temper that wind, instead being susceptible to breakage after storms, as some of us can remember from some past peak wind events. Shore pine, conversely, is the ideal tree form to provide shelter from wind at the ground level. There is a row of shore pine on the 12th Street side of Kah Tai, planted there around 1983 by community members; although some have been damaged not by wind but by vandalism, they do provide a good visual glimpse of the possible reforestation of the Sims Way side of the lagoon area. They branch near to the ground and give excellent protection from wind--the name "shore" pine is an obvious clue of their rightness for this location. They won't die off after 60 years like poplars nor have their tops or stems break off after a howling gale. Not to mention, they are native to the Olympic Peninsula unlike the "Lombardy" poplar--a tree that has no wildlife value for food or nesting. Shore pine, being evergreen, could transform that street corridor with year-round foliage instead of the six-month leaf cycle of poplars.

Lastly, the poplar is an allergenic tree, for 60 years showering much of the town with irritating pollens that cause many to have allergic reactions and sneezing for weeks every spring. And on that note, I urge the City to take pollen into consideration when choosing trees for the replanting episode. Pine is one of the best solutions. Please: don't be planting "lollipop" street trees as depicted in the artist's conception with this article! That is exactly the tree shape that will suffer the most wind damage at that breezeway location, and probably need expensive irrigation support as well. Shore pine is perfectly adapted to thriving on the limited amount of precip that falls at this location (see: 12th Street non-irrigated pines).

Change is challenging for some people, but change is inevitable. Let's invest in the long-term this time.