Leader photo by Brian Kelly

Port Townsend’s iconic gauntlet of poplars are likely to come down.

Mostly.

An advisory board for the city of Port Townsend has recommended the complete removal of the Lombardy poplar trees lining the Boat Haven side of Sims Way along with certain poplars on the north side of the roadway.

The city’s Parks Recreation and Tree Advisory Board met Tuesday, Aug. 23 to present a final recommendation on the fate of the poplars, which have lined the way to downtown Port Townsend for 50-plus years.

“The preferred alternative is recommending removal of all the trees on the boat yard side … and removal over time at the [Kah Tai Lagoon Nature] Park side,” said Steve King, public works director for the city.

The Sims Gateway and Boat Yard Expansion Project is a multi-agency project with the city, Port of Port Townsend, and Jefferson County Public Utility District all involved.

The three municipalities are set to hold a joint meeting at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 12 at Point Hudson Pavilion in Port Townsend to decide on what poplar plan to continue with.

According to the city, safety concerns for the poplars on Sims Way were first raised in the summer of 2021 after PUD staff noted burned leaves and the potential for electrical arching on the power lines on the south side of the roadway.

Since that discovery, the port, PUD, and city each teamed up with the mutual goal of expanding Boat Haven Marina for more vessels.

When the news first dropped of the three agencies’ plans to chop down the treed entryway to the city, and replace the poplars with native flora, many residents expressed disapproval of the plan and lack of community input.

The city then set up an advisory board along with hosting an open house in early August to present and hear from the community, while key critics established the Gateway Poplar Alliance to counter the plans to cut down the trees.