The huge big-leaf maple tree in Volunteer Park has been a popular spot for picnickers for decades, and a well-known landmark in the middle of the park.

"It's unique and something you notice every time you walk through there," said Ian Challis of Capitol Hill. "It's kind of like a gathering place."

But it's precisely because so many people sit under the maple that the city has decided it needs to go. The tree, in the well-used field near the park stage, is slated to be uprooted and carted off next week because it is dangerously decayed, parks officials said.

The tree, 70 feet tall and 5 feet wide and believed to be 60 to 70 years old, was scheduled Tuesday for immediate removal after workers found that a large branch had fallen on a picnic table below, said Mark Mead, the city's senior urban forester. But parks officials had already designated it as a hazardous tree, and in January decided to remove it.

Based on a standard rating system, the tree scored an 11 on a 12-point scale used to determine imminent hazard, Mead said.

Still, parkgoers said they are sad to see it go.

Environmental activist Janet Way of Shoreline said that while she understands that there are cases when diseased trees can pose real dangers, the city is often too quick to fear litigation instead of preserving the environment.

"I know trees fall down once in a while, but it's pretty rare compared to the amount of fear that they can fall down," Way said.

But parks officials say the tree is already severely damaged. It has a column of rot from the base to its upper branches, Mead said.

Large branches were cut off Wednesday in time for Gay Pride events in the park this weekend, said parks spokeswoman Dewey Potter. The big maple will be replaced with a tree much larger than what the Parks Department normally plants to replace rotting trees, Mead added.

Lisa Chiu: (206) 464-2349 or lchiu@seattletimes.com