An elderly Portland resident has been caught on camera in a desperate last minute big to stop a huge tree from being cut down. At first glance, it appears as if the tree is in the region of approximately 15x the size of the woman, making it well over 75 feet tall at the very least.

Cutting down large trees within Portland comes with a lot of red tape and isn’t a straight forward process at all. Different sized trees come with different regulations and often at the very least, a large payment has to be made as compensation for the environmental damage caused, as well as planting several other smaller trees in another location.

The sequoia tree in question was being cut down because the home was recently sold. It’s quite possible that the roots of the tree stretch under the driveway of the property shown behind the tree and this could well be the reason for removal.

Like many other plots of land in Portland, the real estate can often become more valuable if large trees are cut down to make way for bigger driveways and front garden areas. Not to mention money saved from not having to hire a gardener or landscaper for bigger areas.

This tree however is protected by a loophole which will likely be closed in the future. As this incident happened right on the border with Washington county, the tree (and other surrounding trees) are not under the same restrictions as Portland trees. As a result, within reason, landowners are allowed to freely cut down trees on their property without any kind of punishment. The property in question sold in late March for $320k.

For those wondering, permits are required for the removal of trees in Portland as soon as the diameter exceeds 12″

However, some Portland residents have pointed out that illegal tree felling is fairly rampant within the city. This is because landowners know that they want to transform and sell a property as soon as they buy it. They are then left with a choice to fill out paperwork and jump through a few hoops, or roll the dice and risk being fined.

As the fines associated with tree cutting are between $1000 – $10000, it can often be worth taking the gamble – especially if the tree is somewhat blocked from public view in a back garden or at the side of the house. If nobody notices or doesn’t report the incident, then of course there is no fine to pay.