Seattle to replace aging cherry trees next to Pike Place Market

SEATTLE — After a debate over their preservation, eight aging cherry blossom trees will be removed from the street near the entrance of Pike Place Market this week and replaced with younger trees in honor of the city’s ties to Japanese culture.

Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced that plan Friday after meeting with members of the local chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League and Save The Market Entrance, the Pike Place Market preservation group.

“Cherry blossom trees are more than a symbol — they invoke heartfelt feelings and represent decades of history — both the good and the bad — as part of our city’s deep connection to Japan,” Harrell said in a statement Friday. “My own understanding of this is rooted in the experiences of my Japanese American family, who were incarcerated at an internment camp at Minidoka (Idaho), and their reverence for these trees.”

The city will plant 16 additional cherry blossom trees in a location to be determined; one potential site is the parkland being developed as part of the waterfront’s transformation.

The 40-year-old trees were scheduled to be removed from Pike Street last week as a part of a pedestrian- and cyclist-centric redesign of the Pike-Pine corridor that leads to the market and the city’s waterfront. They were to be replaced by elm hybrids.

Harrell postponed the removal at the last minute after an outpouring of community support.

Last week, the mayor’s office met twice with representatives of Save The Market Entrance and the Seattle chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, both of which opposed the removal, before deciding to replace the trees.

Save The Market Entrance President Ruth Danner said she appreciates Harrell’s effort to compromise on the trees.