Shoreline blocks removal of the Firlands giant sequoia
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
 |
| The giant sequoia towering over the old Bank of America building on Firlands Way - photo by Oliver Moffat |
Whether 50 years old or 400, Shoreline prohibits the removal of the Firlands giant sequoia for six months with a temporary ordinance.
On Monday, January 27, the Shoreline city council passed temporary restrictions on the removal of exceptionally large trees in the TC3 and TC4 zones.
TC3 and TC4 are the small zones along Aurora that includes City Hall, the office building the city recently purchased last year, and the storage court north of city hall the city purchased in 2020 as the future site of the proposed aquatics center.
The rule defines “exceptional” trees as trees with a diameter at breast height (DBH) greater than sixty inches. There aren’t a lot of very big trees in the TC3 and TC4 zones. There is a big Douglas Fir on the southwest corner of Stone Way N and N 180th St that could be larger than 60” DBH.
But the discussion at Monday’s meeting focused on one specific tree: the Giant Sequoia at 18525 Firlands Way, which stands in the middle of the 1.126-acre parcel where the old Bank of America used to be.
Councilmember Annette Ademasu co-sponsored the ordinance because, “it gives us and the generations after us a chance to preserve a part of our natural history that cannot be replaced. There are few historic large trees left in shoreline.”
Robert McCaughan, who identified himself as the owner of the property, said in public comments that he had offered to sell the property to the city, but the city declined.
Contacted by phone, Chris Haynes, a broker with Windermere real estate, confirmed the property is still for sale - a potential buyer has expressed interest but was not planning to tear down the existing building.
It is not possible to definitively measure the age of a tree based solely on its height or the width of its trunk but giant sequoias are (as their name suggests) legendary for growing fast, living long and getting very, very big.
The width of a giant sequoia trunk grows faster than other tree species and their girth can increase by one to two inches every year.
Kathleen Russell with Save Shoreline Trees said trees that are wider than 60 inches are “80 to 100 years and older.”
Councilmember John Ramsdell, who co-sponsored the Ordinance, said trees larger than 60 inches wide are “at least 300 to 400 years old.”
But Robert McCaughan, whose family has owned the Firlands property for generations, said the tree was required as a landscape tree when the bank was built in 1978.
Searching the Shoreline Historical Museum’s website turned up a photo taken during the bank’s construction which may or may not show the tree.
 |
| Aerial photos compiled from the King County website from 1936 and 2023 show the location of the Firlands giant sequoia |
And an aerial photo on King County’s website from 1936 shows the site was a vacant lot - evidence that would place the tree’s age at somewhere in the range of 50 to 90 years old.
The temporary restrictions expire in six months and the city must hold public hearings on the rules.
Posts
5 comments:
The land is for sale, so is the tree. Private property. Respect the owner of the property. If you want the tree, BUY IT. Or stop calling the police if someone tries to steal YOUR PROPERTY. Why does this have to be said?
I appreciate the fact checking here. Those who want to save the trees, hurt the cause when they overstate the irreplaceability of any particular tree. 50 years is a long time, 90 even longer. Maybe this is a tree worth saving, but let's be honest about what it is.
Thanks for diving into historical photos!
In my opinion the council (and staff) failed to describe why it is even necessary to pass this temporary ordinance. Council member Ramsdell thinks these trees are hundreds of years old based on a google search. Council member Ademasu talked to a neighbor near the tree being discussed. Cool, great research. It would have been much more useful to know how many trees even meet this criteria in TC-4/TC-3? How many that meet the criteria have been removed in the last few years in these zones? Was an arborist consulted to take a look at the apparently only tree that this ordinance would apply to? Are we ok with limiting redevelopment potential in our "town center" to preserve one large non-native tree? These are the types of discussion questions I expected.
If the city wants to keep this particular tree, it should buy the property.
Thank you for saving - at least temporarily- such a beautiful specimen. We need trees in our commercial areas, not just parks. Anyone heard of "heat islands"?
This tree is older than fifty years as there has been protests as far back as the early 1970's to keep the few trees left on the former glorious FIRLANDS Way. Heat islands are real, cities write ordinances with the help of and to the benefit of development rather than the community. The benefits that the city would gain as a small park in a vast area of concrete would be a welcome investment. Why not have the seller get a huge tax break for donating the land to the city?
Post a Comment