Friends of Edmonds Trees

“Big Red,” as it was affectionately called by some Edmonds residents, was a coastal redwood tree estimated at between 80 and 90 feet tall, with a trunk measuring approximately 6 feet in diameter. The coastal redwood’s scientific name is sequoia sempervirens. Big Red was an awe-inspiring, majestic coastal redwood in Edmonds. 

On December 9, 2024, the City of Edmonds granted the Boardwalk Homeowners’ Association a permit to cut down ‘Big Red.’  On December 30, Dennis Weaver, a 35-year resident of the Boardwalk Condominiums, filed a complaint in Snohomish Superior Court, asking the City to reverse its decision. Accordingly, the city put the permit on temporary hold while the legal question was investigated. But according to city officials, the fact that a petition had been filed did not necessarily mean that the city would need to wait for a court decision before reinstating the permit.

Despite the efforts of advocates working to save the tree, the Boardwalk Condominiums’ 100-foot-tall redwood known as Big Red was cut down on March 31, 2025.

The very public cutting down of ‘Big Red’ for no good reason other than the lack of a protective tree code, along with the Edmonds community's unwavering objection to the loss of ‘Big Red,’ inspired the adoption of an Interim Landmark Tree Protection Ordinance, protecting the remaining stately trees of our Edmonds.

In response to the community outrage generated by the cutting down of ‘Big Red’, Susan Paine, President Pro-Tem of the Edmonds City Council, proposed an Interim Tree Ordinance. It was adopted by the Council with a 6-0 vote.

The spirit of ‘Big Red’ lives on in our group, Friends of Edmonds Trees.

Our mission is to protect the remaining legacy trees in the city of Edmonds.

One of the ways we will accomplish this goal is by supporting the establishment of a strong, permanent Tree Code by the city.

Read the newly adopted Edmonds Interim Tree Code Ordinance HERE.

Now our work is to ensure that a strong, effective and permanent Tree Code is created and adopted by the city of Edmonds in the timeline established. 

You can view more about our work at this site.