Green Lake Redwood

9/8/23 redwood tree, Green Lake neighborhood

In the 1930s, children at Green Lake Elementary School planted this redwood tree. A friend who lives in the retirement community next door (who knew I had sketched Luma) had alerted me to it first: Surrounded by fencing that supposedly protects it, the redwood stands on a lot where construction is taking place. Shortly afterwards, I learned from Tree Action Seattle (the group that saved Luma) that the fencing does not comply with city code, so the tree’s roots could be injured. The city department in charge is aware of this non-compliance but is not enforcing its own code.

Resistant to drought and heat, this coastal redwood has been absorbing tons of carbon for the community for nearly a century. Undoubtedly it provides welcome shade to my friend’s apartment building, not to mention its beauty viewed through residents’ windows. As I sketched it, I appreciated its nearly perfect symmetry as it silently serves all of its neighbors.