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Council designates giant sequoia at Grants Pass water treatment plant as heritage tree
Summary
After a public hearing and a recommendation from the Urban Tree Advisory Committee, the Grants Pass City Council unanimously approved a resolution to designate the giant sequoia at 821 Southeast M Street as a heritage tree, citing size, age and community value.
Josh Hopkins, the city’s park superintendent, told the council the Urban Tree Advisory Committee recommended that the giant sequoia at 821 Southeast M Street — on public property at the Grants Pass Water Treatment Plant — be designated a heritage tree. Hopkins said the species meets the municipal code criteria for significance because it is large, roughly 120 feet tall with a diameter measured at 95 inches at breast height, and appears in aerial photographs dating back to the 1930s and 1950s.
Hopkins outlined protections tied to a heritage-tree designation under the Grants Pass Municipal Code, including limits on filling or piling materials within the tree’s drip line, restrictions on posting signs or driving nails into the tree, and requirements for permits and arborist inspections before major pruning or removal. He said the tree’s critical root zone is estimated at about 95 feet and that the designation carries a modest cost for a commemorative plaque estimated at about $300.
Councilor Indra asked why the tree was being considered now; Hopkins said the city has been designating heritage trees for about five years and that this tree emerged from the committee’s recent discussions. With no public testimony, Indra moved to designate the tree as a heritage tree; the council took a roll-call vote and approved the resolution. The designation is for a city-owned tree and does not require the owner covenant that is used for private-property nominations.
