A century-old tree called 'Big Red' comes down in Edmonds
Neighbors and tree advocates circled the trunk, trying to protect it.
Condo board members said the tree's removal was sad but necessary.
Big Red stood a hundred feet tall, with a trunk so wide that if it were hollow, you could lay down inside it and go to sleep.
On the day the chainsaws were scheduled to start, neighbors and tree advocates held hands, encircling the California coastal redwood's massive trunk.
It took some time, but Edmonds police eventually coaxed them to the side.
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Rachel Mae brought her three young boys to witness it.
"I want my kids to know that we believe in something and believe in taking care of the things that give us life," she said. "This tree means a lot to a lot of people, and I want my kids to see their parents standing up for the world around them. "
A man named Bill, who would not give his last name, said he sits on the condo board that voted to remove the tree.
He said the condo association just spent $75,000 dollars to repave its parking lot.
"And so that comes out of everybody's pocket here," he explained. "And they say maybe every five years it'll have to be redone again."
He said the tree had to be removed to protect that investment.
His account was confirmed by Carol Merrill, the board's treasurer.
"We spent a year and a half trying to decide what to do with this," Merrill said. "I mean, I find it sad, but at the same time, I also feel like it's part of the board's obligation to do the best for the property."
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Edmonds City Councilmember Susan Paine, who once lived across the street from Big Red, said she'd be introducing legislation on April 8 to strengthen protections for large trees like that.
But as for Big Red, she said the tree removal permit had been vested, and the city can't revoke it without putting itself in legal trouble.
"We're not in the business of wanting to get sued," Paine said.
The tree's demolition will continue into a second day on Tuesday, April 2.
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Joshua McNichols
Reporter
As KUOW's Growth and Development reporter and co-host of KUOW's Booming podcast, Joshua's "growing pains" beat sits at the nexus of housing, transportation, urban planning, government and the economy. His favorite stories also include themes of history, technology, and climate change.
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