District resident battles city over preservation of street tree

WASHINGTON — The District of Columbia is proud to maintain more than 170 trees to beautify the city, provide cooling shade and mitigate the effects of climate change.

But a resident of 17th St. Southeast says one city tree is destroying her home in slow motion. Now, she’s begging for help.

“I'm just out done. This is a mess," said 67-year-old retiree Gloria Matthews as she pointed to roots from the city-owned tree in front of her house that she claims have crumbled her concrete, blocked a crucial drain and cracked her foundation.

She said the result has been years of repeated flooding in her basement, mold damage, and a refusal by any city agency or leader to help her.

Gloria’s basement appears to be a disaster zone.  Floors and possessions are destroyed and walls are coated in mold.

"They told me if I cut that tree down I'm going to jail because it doesn't belong to me," Matthews said. "So if it doesn't belong to me, why are the roots coming into my house and they're not doing anything about it? They're letting my house be destroyed. I'm just sick of them. I've called everybody, written letters. And the response I got was they can't do anything about it. So I'm just so upset. I cry all the time."

Matthews has contacted both repeatedly. 

A statement from the Department of Transportation said the arborist “only removes public trees when they are dead, dying, diseased, or proven to be hazardous.”  The agency cited storm damage as an example.

The tree on 17th St SE is alive and healthy, the city says.

The Office of Risk Management said Ms. Matthews failed to "...satisfy the six-month notice requirement." The agency further stated that even if she had, ORM would have denied the claim based on a legal precedent that found root damage from a neighboring tree is a property owner’s problem.

Officials from both agencies recommended that Ms. Matthews file an insurance claim. She said she can’t cover the deductible or a potential rate increase on her fixed retirement income.

Neighbors noted that city arborists have replaced numerous trees on the street over the years, including a tree that blocked another neighbor's sewer.

City agencies said residents who have problems with a city owned tree should start by calling 3-1-1.

Do you have a news tip on this story or any other story? We want to hear from you. Tell us about it by emailing newstips@wusa9.com.   

MORE WAYS TO GET WUSA9  

HOW TO ADD THE FREE WUSA9+ APP TO YOUR STREAMING DEVICE  

ROKU: add the channel from the ROKU store or by searching for WUSA9.  

For both Apple TV and Fire TV, search for "WUSA9" to find the free app to add to your account. Another option for Fire TV is to have the app delivered directly to your Fire TV through Amazon.  

SIGN UP TO RECEIVE WUSA9 NEWSLETTER 

Subscribe to our daily WUSA9 Newsletter for top stories from WUSA9 curated daily just for you. Get content and information right now for can’t-miss stories, Commanders content, weather, and more delivered right to your inbox.