LOGAN, Utah — More than 100 years of Logan history will soon be cut down despite community members fighting for months to save a line of ash trees. "It has felt really discouraging," explained Hannah Ristrocelli a resident of Logan.
During a meeting last week, Logan's city council announced they will be chopping down the 17 ash trees on Canyon Road. For some the trees are a part of the city's culture, "This is an iconic stretch of road," stressed Hannah Ristrocelli. "The trees are absolutely beautiful."
Hannah Ristrocelli and Alex Gerber are among the thousands of residents who signed a petition to stop the city from uprooting the trees. For them, the decision to move forward is disheartening. "It's been both empowering and frustrating," stated Gerber. "To feel like you're fighting the good fight and giving it everything you can and to see like nothing really comes from that."
City officials state that due to Logan's growing population, the state is requiring them to build a new waterline and storage tank. That new line would bring water from Logan Canyon to other parts of the city.
Due to the city council approving the project, the area will also need to be brought up to code with sidewalks and bike lanes. That means the trees will soon be gone.
However, residents near the trees worry about the impact of removing them. "We live alongside a very unstable hillside with a history of landslides," explained Ristrocelli. "The city's response to managing those risks has been, we're going to figure it out. Which to me doesn't feel sufficient."
In a statement, Logan Mayor Holly Daines wrote, " As most citizens are aware, water rates have already increased as we work to upgrade aging water infrastructure. To put it in context, an additional $4.8M would require at least a 2.5 percent water rate increase for every household in the city of the 20 year life of the bond, all to save seventeen trees that are not in the best of health and are likely nearing the end of their life."
For Alex and Hannah though, the loss of the trees means more than just the changing of one street's views. "A big part of why we chose this part of Logan was the natural environment to it and the connection to nature," Gerber stated. "And it feels like we just got here and now it's getting ripped out from under our feet."
