Portland Audubon Has Offered a Reward for Information About a Poisoned Tree in the Sabin Neighborhood

The Portland Audubon Society is offering $1,000 for information on the poisoning of a giant sequoia in Northeast Portland.

The tree straddles two residential properties in the Sabin neighborhood. The city ordered the sequoia removed last April, since its roots had compromised the foundation of one of the adjacent homes.

The owners of the property not compromised by the root structure, Shayan Rohani and Claire Bollinger, appealed the city's order and launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal fees. The house with the compromised foundation has been unoccupied for the past few years due to the damage.

According to Rohani and Bollinger's GoFundMe page, the poisoning was discovered Feb. 24 as the affected property was about to be sold to a "tree-friendly developer." It is unclear how the poisoning will affect the tree's long-term health.

"We'll see if this bears any fruit or not," Bob Sallinger, Portland Audubon's conservation director, says of the investigation. "But we're hopeful."

The Portland Police Bureau announced the reward over the weekend, and Audubon posted about it today on social media. Any tips that Audubon receives will be passed on to PPB.

"Our hope is that someone will be identified and prosecuted," says Sallinger.

So far, Audubon hasn't received any tips. Rohani and Bollinger did not immediately respond to WW's request for comment.