Searching for Giants in Bellingham

Joe Meche is vice president of the North Cascades Audubon Society and is in his ninth year as editor of the chapter newsletter. Joe is also a member of the board of directors of the Washington Brant Foundation. He has been photographing birds and landscapes for over 30 years and has been watching birds for more than 50 years.

Giant Sequoias, Sequoiadendron giganteum, commonly known as Sequoias, are members of the family Taxodiaceae. Along with redwoods and bald cypress, they are the only members of this family of trees native to North America. Sequoias are the world’s largest trees, by volume, and among the oldest living things on Earth. The oldest known Sequoia is believed to be more than 3,200 years old. This large conifer typically ranges along the moist, western slope of the Sierra Nevada at higher elevations, between 4,500-7,500 feet. Sequoias grow in groves as opposed to true stands, and there are as many 75 separate groves throughout its range in California.

To walk in a grove of Sequoias is an opportunity for a thoughtful person to contemplate, appreciate and perhaps understand the basic significance of humans in the chain of life. I’ve had the distinct pleasure to spend time in several of these groves and have always come away with a feeling of wonder and even reverence. These giants were inspirational to many of the early naturalists who encountered them on their travels.

The Big Tree is nature’s finest masterpiece…the greatest of all living things,

it belongs to an ancient stock and has a strange air of another day about it,

a thoroughbred look inherited from long ago—the Auld Lang Syne of trees.

Loggers probably salivated at the prospect of felling these giants, given the potentially large yield in board-feet from every tree. They soon found that these heavy, brittle trees would shatter when they hit the ground. They tried to lessen the impact by digging trenches and lining them with branches. The wood of the Sequoia is fibrous and fragile and generally unsuitable for use in building construction. The cost to get the big trees to the mills proved to be more than they were worth. This was very fortunate for the trees.

Bellingham is a city of trees and most Hamsters take great pride in the abundance and variety of trees within the city. Since I arrived here almost 30 years ago, I’ve marveled at the diversity of trees in many neighborhoods and parks. Along the way, I’ve noticed a Sequoia here and there, but only recently decided to follow through on a project that I’ve had on the back burner for years. For big-tree aficionados, I plan to locate and catalog all the Sequoias in Bellingham and create a guide of sorts for those who might be interested to know that there are giants among us.

The Sequoias in Bellingham were planted as ornamentals, most within the past century—hence their smaller size. By comparison, our local Sequoias might be less significant than many of their Sierra cousins, but they are still spectacular trees. Sequoia seedlings, which can be purchased through local nurseries or by mail order, have been planted and thrive in many places around the world. Since Sequoias are fast-growing trees, however, the homeowner should plan accordingly for the expected size of the tree(s) they plant.

Sequoias are excellent additions to any yard, either as featured trees or when planted in groups. When young, they make great windbreaks and privacy screens. Their rapid growth rate is appealing and they are drought resistant, as well as being almost maintenance-free once the tree has become established. Sequoias are fire, disease and insect resistant. The most noteworthy pest to Sequoias is Homo sapiens.

Some of the local trees are old enough to have a certain historical significance. One tree in particular was known by locals as either the “fighting tree” or the “smoking tree.” With its proximity to the old high school (now Whatcom Middle School), you can imagine the origin of these names. As of this writing, I’ve located 76 of these magnificent and distinctive trees. Some of the specimens are prominent because of their size, certainly, but the location of some of these trees lends a special air to their surrounding landscape.

All of the trees, except for a couple that I’ve observed, are healthy, thriving specimens. The climate in the Northwest is suitable for Sequoias and the prime requirement is an open area with good air circulation and well-drained soil. As you take a tour around the city in search of the giants, you can enjoy a number of prime examples of our local Sequoias.

On the campus of WWU, next to Eden’s Hall is a spectacular tree that, according to information I’ve gathered, has achieved its magnificence in only 85 years! Early photographs of the building in 1920 show a bare south-facing wall, as you might expect at a major construction site. Today, this giant is approximately 125 feet tall and has a girth of 25 feet.

The Eldridge neighborhood has magnificent trees to add to its historical character. In the 2700 block of Eldridge, one of the most beautiful backyards in our fair city has five separate trees in a magnificent, tight cluster that creates a feeling of peace as you approach. This is the closest you’ll come to an actual grove of Sequoias without traveling over a thousand miles. Closer to town, in the 1700 block of Eldridge, is perhaps one of the most frequently viewed specimens, given its location on a busy east-west connector.

On the corner of E St. and Jenkins stands the “fighting/smoking” tree. The current property owner has told me of the occasional old-timer who stops by to comment and reminisce about the tree when he was “growing up.” This tree is often adorned with lights during the holidays, as is the tree on the Western campus.

Other Sequoias of note can be observed on Greenwood Ave., south of Cottonwood; on the corner of 16th Street and Mackenzie; two giants on the corner of York and Grant; on the corner of North Shore and Maynard; two trees on D Street, just south of Girard; and a lovely specimen on Electric Avenue, just before you come to the entrance to the Bloedel-Donovan Park. Contact me if you would like to see if your neighborhood giant made the list. If not, I’d love to add it to the map.

This project has become somewhat intriguing to me in other aspects. For the past month, I have been afflicted with a new sense of what can only be described as visual acuity to the distinctive shape of Sequoias. I’ve stumbled onto trees that I’ve passed numerous times before, but never noticed. Coincidentally, on my search for the giants, I located another member of the same family—a magnificent bald cypress—in front of the Birchwood Elementary School.

Another part of history that might otherwise go unnoticed is that the giant Sequoia was named to honor Sequoyah, a.k.a. George Guess, the half-breed who invented and published the Cherokee alphabet. Guess had noticed soldiers writing and reading letters, and it was with this incentive that he decided to create an alphabet so that his people could read and write their own language. This alphabet consists of 86 characters and is considered by many to be the most perfect alphabet ever devised for any language.

Although there are no stone slabs over his grave to mark Sequoyah’s passing, the honor to his name and to his people will ever remain in the timeless Sequoia redwood trees that were named for him, and for the alphabet which he alone invented.

Now that you know there are giants in Bellingham, hop on your bike sometime or take a walk and explore your neighborhood and others within reach. You’ll find, among our city’s wealth of trees, a small yet impressive number of one of nature’s true masterpieces. Trees are an integral part of our lives and you can get a good feeling by going out today and giving one a big hug. They don’t call us tree huggers for nothing! §

To exist as a nation, to prosper as a state and to live as a people, we must have trees. —Theodore Roosevelt