Thanks to a reader for the tip and picture at the scene of the crime
Capitol Hill’s park spaces are facing all sorts of challenges heading into winter including trouble with Volunteer Park coyotes and fences around Seven Hills.
Now, someone has chopped down a Christmas tree in Miller Park.
The reader who alerted CHS to the problem says the little conifer was cut down Monday.
A Seattle Parks spokesperson says the person who swiped the tree broke the law:
As outlined in the Seattle Municipal Code 18.12.070:
It is unlawful for any person except a duly authorized Department of Parks and Recreation or other City employee in the performance of his or her duties, or other person duly authorized, to remove, destroy, mutilate or deface any structure, lawn, monument, statue, planter, vase, fountain, wall, fence, railing, vehicle, bench, shrub, tree, geological formation, plant, flower, lighting system, sprinkling system, gate, barricade or lock or other property lawfully in any park, or to remove sand, soil, sod, or water from any park.
“Please leave plants, artifacts, flowers, and features for everyone to enjoy!,” the parks spokesperson requested.
According to the city’s tree database, the area of Miller Park where the tree was taken is home to a handful of smaller Lawson’s Cypress trees and a trio of large Douglas Firs.
The illegal timber harvesting near 19th and John is an unusual issue but the area saw a similar heist last year. In that case, a rare Tibetan Cypress was cut down and stolen from the Arboretum’s Pinetum collection. The Arboretum tree was around seven years old. There was no public report of an arrest.
To get a holiday tree on Capitol Hill without landing on Santa’s naughty list, check out the Stevens Elementary Tree Sale this weekend.
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You can’t have anything nice around here in the land of no consequence
Don’t automatically assume this poor tree ended up on display in someone’s house. This is Seattle, guys! More likely it was used as fuel for a nearby encampment fire, or for holiday decoration inside one of the decrepit, non-moving RVs parked along 15th. But seriously, the parks department actually caring about a broken law in a park?? Have pigs flown as well??
Fresh wood does not burn very well.
It could have just as easily been a selfish homeowner who took the tree for their home.
In the surrounding $2m homes ?
You’ve never seen a CEO sneaking company buffet food into their bag, if you don’t realize that being wealthy doesn’t stop some people from being cheapskates.
that’s vandalism dude.
The Seattle Police Department has already identified the culprit from the Ring cameras that cover all of the surrounding streets, facial recognition has identified the culprit as “Clark W. ‘Sparky’ Griswold Jr.”
Unrelated, the trailer mobiles’s on 15th were orange tagged. They also chalked the tires on all the cars/vans/dead-school-busses as well.
No word on the pile of stolen shopping carts.
Lighting fires, spreading trash, screaming slurs and threats; that is all perfectly welcome behavior in our parks. But no felling trees.
I guess I’m glad they draw the line somewhere. I’m sure the sternly worded notice will be effective.
I mean, people can come and go on their own, they aren’t physically ROOTED INTO THE GROUND after growing there for decades…quite the false equivalence if I ever saw one!
What sort of brain dead self absorbed cretin does shit like this?
People these days… Some dude was caught on camera loading up his car with pots of native plants that were out waiting for a volunteer work party to plant at Seward Park the other day too… At least with him, they got a nice clear pic of his license plate #….
To the selfish jerk who cut down that tree: may you burn in hell!
It’s kids or homeless. Nobody would do that otherwise. I don’t care how poor they are.
I’d never underestimate the petty entitlement of people otherwise experiencing a life of privilege, myself.
Eh, rich people do gross shit like this too. I grew up with some of them. When you have a shitload of money you (kind of rightfully) assume you can do whatever you want, whenever you want, & get away with it.
Coulda been anyone.
I was wondering how commenters would somehow make this story an occasion to complain about homeless people, but sure enough, the first three are here to show us how it’s done.
capitol hill trees always catch rough treatment from weekend crowds, but this is a bit different. I can imagine all manner of vandals and their justifications and it’s no help. I want to rant about people with no respect for living creatures but I do think this tree will live, at least, so it’s simply an apparent antisocial (rather than sadistic) act. it’ll have a funky shape tho…
@jseattle, can you please clarify the “trouble with Volunteer Park coyotes” statement in the lede? the link leads to the same link as the Seven Hills Park link, discussing the recent public meeting concerning that park, but as far as I can tell that article has no mention of Volunteer Park coyotes. I know they’ve been covered here in the past but they have not been any “trouble” yet as far as I’m aware. A link to the coverage of thet trouble would be appreciated. Thank you!
Here’s the link to a recent CHB post about coyotes:
https://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2025/12/city-monitoring-coyote-incidents-reported-at-volunteer-park/