I live in the area and went to that park all the time as a kid.It`s too bad they`re cutting that tree down but in reality it`ll have minimal impact.Pier park is a pretty good size park and the whole park is nothing but giant old growth trees.It`s like being in the woods while you`re still in the city.There`s another park just like it 3 miles away called Columbia park,it`s full of old growth too.And for those who don`t know Portland,Or., It`s also the home of Forest park,which is the largest forested area inside any city in the United States,a park that is between 4,000 to 5,000 acres of untouched wilderness right in the city.(pretty cool actually).So yeah it sucks they`re gonna cut the one tree but for the most part they work really hard to preserve natural spaces around here.