Disappearing Trees

Mayor Wheeler’s leadership has overseen the alarming destruction of Bremerton’s vital urban tree canopy.

Disappearing Trees: A Green Space Crisis

Mayor Wheeler’s leadership has overseen the alarming destruction of Bremerton’s vital urban tree canopy.

  • Trees Down, Temperatures Up: Recent projects in Manette and downtown's 4th Street have resulted in dozens of trees being cut down, with no plans to replace them. This directly contributes to higher summer temperatures and a less green city.

  • Widespread Destruction: From Manette and Q Square to Naval Avenue and even a "tree harvest" in our watershed – our natural heritage is being sacrificed.

Our trees are essential for our environment and quality of life. We need a mayor who will protect and expand our green spaces, not diminish them.

Satellite map of wooded area with trails, roads, a reservoir, and arrows indicating a particular route.

Evidence of clear cutting the forest inside the Union River watershed

Why does Mayor Wheeler want to expand clear cutting in the Union River Basin, where we get our drinking water?

Commercial logging can be ecologically sustainable and provides great jobs. But it should not be done in critical habitats, especially from the very watershed where our drinking water originates.

The Mayor began commercial logging inside the watershed in 2021 and wants to expand the program in the next 4 years. That’s a bad idea.

Map of COB Water Utility area showing watershed boundaries, ownership, drainage, and riparian areas, with color-coded total MBF range indicating timber volume. Legend includes symbols for watershed boundary, ownership, drainage, riparian areas, and range categories from 14 to over 8500 MBF.

Plans for future clear cutting in the drinking water reservoir

A screenshot of a text document discussing water resource management and harvest levels in the Union River Basin with a focus on sustainable practices and rotation periods.

Tree Destruction in Manette

The Mayors street redesign on Manette’s 11th St has some nice features. But unfortunately, the Mayor decided to kill over a dozen mature, shade bearing trees, with no plan to replant.

A street scene with parked vehicles, including an orange food stand, a white van, and parts of other cars, in front of a blue building with large windows and trees with autumn foliage.
Workers cut and remove fallen tree limbs on a sidewalk, with a worker in a cherry picker trimming branches from an adjacent tree, near a light blue building and parked vehicles.
A sidewalk with a tree stump, a bike rack covered with stickers, parked cars on the street, and a building in the background under a cloudy sky.

Carnage on 4th Street Downtown

Quincy Square will be lovely but the Mayor oversaw the destruction of ten beautiful shade trees.

A street scene in a small town with cars parked along the right side and storefronts on the left. Trees line both sides of the street under a blue sky.
Construction site in front of a theater with a pile of dirt and roots, and a marquee sign displaying the words 'Now Playing Quincy Square 2025 RoxyBremerton.org'.

Planned tree removal on Naval Ave

More than one dozen trees are slated for annihilation as part of the Naval Ave streets project according to the Administration’s plans for the street. There’s must be a better way.

Person walking on sidewalk next to trees and a dog near a fence.
Technical drawing of a landscape or construction plan with annotations indicating trees and chopped areas, showing detailed measurements and layout of streets and site features.