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Tumwater commission approves three‑year treatment plan for 400‑year‑old Davis Maker Garry Oak
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Summary
The Tumwater Historic Preservation Commission voted March 12, 2026, to approve a conservative three‑year treatment plan by Todd Prager & Associates to retain and mitigate safety risks to the Davis Maker Garry Oak; staff said the city will return with contractor selection and a budget amendment as more funding will be needed beyond an initial $55,000 allocation.
The Tumwater Historic Preservation Commission on March 12 approved a three‑year treatment plan aimed at preserving the Davis Maker Garry Oak, a roughly 400‑year‑old oak on the city’s historic register near 7525 Old Highway 99.
Kelly Adams, Tumwater’s assistant city administrator, presented the plan written by Todd Prager & Associates and said the work will take a phased approach focused first on root‑zone management and monitoring. “The Davis Maker Garry Oak tree is located near 7525 Old Highway 99… it’s approximately 400 years old,” Adams said during the presentation.
The treatment plan stresses conservative interventions: year one emphasizes vertical mulching, soil amendments and monitoring; later phases would include selective, limited pruning under arborist supervision if needed. Brian Coughlin, the city urban forester present for the discussion, noted scan results and structural assessments that staff cited when explaining the conservative approach and safety rationale, saying the tree showed a “safety factor of 6.27,” which staff interpreted as indicating substantial structural strength.
During more than an hour of technical discussion commissioners pressed staff on tomography results, pruning thresholds and whether supplemental cabling would be used. Staff said cabling remained a cautious, last‑resort option and that fencing acceptable to the Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation (DAHP) — described as split cedar rail — could be installed to limit public access while protecting the tree.
Commissioners voted to approve the plan after a formal motion. A committee member moved, another seconded and the motion carried on a voice vote; the chair announced, “It carries.” Adams and staff said the city issued an RFQ and had received one response at the time of the meeting and that council had previously allocated $55,000 toward initial work but additional funding will likely be necessary; staff said they will return with a budget amendment and contractor recommendations.
The commission asked staff to continue regular updates and invited staff to share photos and progress reports as the work proceeds. The commission set the next meeting for April 16.
