Edmonds is set to revisit its landmark tree ordinance

EDMONDS — Community members will have their first opportunity to comment on the city’s proposed landmark tree ordinance Tuesday evening at the Edmonds City Council meeting.

In 2021, Edmonds adopted an interim landmark tree ordinance aimed at protecting large trees from removal. The City Council planned to create a permanent policy but ran out of time before the temporary regulation expired, council member Susan Paine said.

Now, the council has returned to the policy with the idea to get a long-term ordinance written and adopted by next April.

“This will give us an opportunity to preserve many of our largest trees, which supports our wildlife, our canopy cover and is also aligned with the Edmonds Climate Action Plan,” Paine said in an interview on Monday. “We have a year to get this work done. With luck, we can have some tree protections and an easier tree code to implement.”

The plan includes analyzing tree permit types and trends, clarifying definitions and studying enforcement options.

Right now, the ordinance draft defines landmark trees as having a diameter of 30 inches or more at breast height, which is 4.5 feet above the ground.

If eventually adopted, the protection won’t supersede trees deemed as a hazard or nuisance, described by current city code as trees causing significant damage to private or public infrastructure such as sidewalks or driveways.

The introduction of the ordinance draft comes a week after a large Redwood nicknamed “Big Red” was cut down next to the entrance to the Boardwalk Condominiums parking area in Edmonds on March 31. Some residents protested the removal of the tree but ultimately failed to block the removal permit.

The city council meeting begins 6 p.m. Tuesday in the City Council Conference Room, 121 5th Avenue North, Edmonds.

Eliza Aronson: 425-339-3434; eliza.aronson@heraldnet.com; X: @ElizaAronson.

Eliza’s stories are supported by the Herald’s Environmental and Climate Reporting Fund.