The report prepared for the Greenway permit hearings identified these trees in detail. The 117 trees are recent trees and saplings. Only 49 are larger than an 8-inch trunk diameter. Many are sick. None are 75 years old.
None contribute to the riparian ecology.
The trees are being removed because the parking lots are coming out and a new park, plazas and a wider bike path are going in. The 117 trees are being replaced with 371 new trees. The Friends' own alternate plan would also eliminate many of these same 117 trees. The 117 trees are simply a smokescreen to divert attention from the Friends' plan that sacrifices safety, activity, disabled access, museum access, bicycle access, elderly access, bank stability, bank trees and a continuous sidewalk. And the most ridiculous feature of the Friends' plan is their large parking lot that replaces the proposed lawn across from the Big River Restaurant.