Chestnut Seekers In Park Damaging Trees

Every year at this time, many people from outside the area come by bus and public car to collect chicks from the big trees in the park. They arrive early in the morning, sometimes as late as 5am and stay until dark.

Some of the activities observed by visitors to the park included hitting branches with a stick and throwing objects at the chest tree causing the chest to fall.

Very sharp spines that protect the thorax are present on the incisors. Occasionally, the pods sometimes open while still on the tree, but most drop first, usually with 2 or 3 pods inside. Then the blanks are thrown away.

The Laurelhurst blog received this information from a neighbor:

I've seen many people use it to chop wood for chestnuts. 

Both men and women use stakes in the chessboard near the playground equipment. The man then allegedly took the amputated leg and dumped it at the edge of a park near 48th Avenue NE. 

I informed the community center staff. The manager came out and told them to stop cutting the tree branches. The principal sees them using a buzz saw to throw limbs around the garden. 

This is unacceptable and offensive behavior. 

Below are photos of tree destruction.

Seattle Parks and Recreation posted signs in the park and around two large chestnut trees.

However, many reports indicate that people are still damaging trees.

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