What stands taller than a human, might be over 100 years old, reduces carbon and protects the soil? Olympia’s largest trees of course! Restoring Earth Connection has just completed a five-month-long project that involved measuring, cataloguing and comparing the largest trees in Olympia. The winners have been announced and soon there will be a map for you to tour these tall beauties.
“Because the biggest trees do the most carbon drawdown and storage, the most pollution drawdown and the most storm water management we really focused on finding the biggest trees and thus held a contest for the biggest trees in Olympia,” explains Lynn Fitz-Hugh, Restoring Earth Connection executive director, on why they started the project. “We can now tell you where the biggest trees of 19 species are in the city, as well as where the biggest in each of four quadrants of the city and a downtown section.”
Restoring Earth Connection is a nonprofit working on issues of climate change and changing the paradigm of how we relate to our Earth. The project was funded through a City of Olympia Inspire Grant and took about a year to complete in total. “We have visited roughly a thousand homes and recorded some level of information about the trees at those addresses, for a total of 1,521 trees,” shares Lynn. “So, at this point we are declaring the contest over, but we will have the results on our website and when information of other bigger trees come to us, we will update it.”
Tree Ambassador Project Announces Olympia’s Biggest Trees
Restoring Earth Connection measured circumference instead of height for its Tree Ambassador Project contest because some species do not grow as tall as others, making it an unequal comparison.
The biggest tree in Olympia is a giant sequoia with a circumference of 31 feet, 11 inches at a location undisclosed at the request of the owners. The second largest tree is actually four trees where the trunks have grown together at the base, with a circumference of 30 feet. “This tree resides at 1701 4th Ave W,” shares Lynn. “I have been told the owner bought the house to protect the tree.”
This chart shows the largest tree of each species they found in Olympia:
| Type of Tree | Location | Circumference of tree @ BH | |
| Giant Sequoia (CA native) | undisclosed | 31’ 11” | |
| Coastal redwood (grown together) | 1701 4th Ave W. (SW) | 30’ exactly | |
| Coastal redwood – single main – CA native | 2116 Bethel NE | 25’ 11” | |
| Western red cedar has multiple | 315 Puget NE – 4 grown together | 22’11” | |
| Doug fir – native ~ 362 years old | 1201 Centerwood Dr. SE | 19’ exactly | |
| Bigleaf maple – native | 1120 San Francisco NE | 18’ 9” | |
| Madrone – native – unheard of big | See from the alley behind Bethel and Yew St NE | Over 18’ | |
| Ponderosa pine – this one is ill – More common to Eastern WA | 905 Giles NW by Westside Coop | 18’ 1” | |
| Sitka spruce – rare and big native | on Karen Frazier SW | 16’ 11” | |
| Deodar cedar -common | 1518 Union St. SE | 16 ‘ 7” | |
| Norway spruce – common | 1716 Franklin St. | 16’ exact | |
| Grand fir – common | 3210 1615 Puget Rd SE | 15’ 8” | |
| Hinoki cypress – common | 600 Washington St. – Superintendent of Public Schools | 14’ 4” | |
| Beech tree – common | 826 Percival SW | 13’ 5” | |
| Nootka (Alaskan) Cyprus – native | 3119 31st Ct SE (multiple leads) | 13’ 4” – really tall | |
| Western hemlock– native | 1513 Dickinson Ave NW | 13’ 2” | |
| Walnut tree – common | 1411 Middle St. SE | 12’ 5” & 11’ 4” sibling | |
| Norway maple – common ~207 years | Milroy SW and 8th | 12’ 1” | |
| Lawson/Or Cyprus (native to CA/OR) | 1230 5th Ave SE | 11’ 10” | |
| Dogwood – native | 406 18th Ave SE | 10’ exactly | |
| Scots Pine – common | 815 Hale NE | 10’ exactly | |
| Dawn redwood | 1516 Giles NW | 9’ 11” | |
| Monkey puzzle tree | 2021 7th St SW | 9’ 6” | |
Do you have a large tree? Restoring Earth Connection says they are expecting people to come forward whose trees they may have missed – and they want you to! “We definitely feel that for some of the smaller tree types, we totally could have missed a big one,” says Lynn. “They don’t stick up in the sky so visibly! So, we do hope that someone will contact our organization if they feel their tree is bigger than the announced winner.”
Walking Map for the Largest Trees in Olympia
Restore Earth Connection is creating a walking map of the largest trees in Olympia, to be released July 2025. They want everyone to enjoy the trees, but respect the property owners as well. “Feel free to go by and look and enjoy the tree,” Lynn says. “However, do not go in people’s yards or ring their doorbell. Respect privacy. Please look from the street, sidewalk or alley!”
While the owners are getting to enjoy bragging rights, the contest was about more than that. “Our data helps the city understand how development has impacted what kind of trees are in what neighborhoods, what trees are currently struggling under climate change, where they may want to focus on planting new trees,” shares Lynn.
Environmental Group in Olympia Volunteering Opportunities
Volunteers went door-to-door to help make the Tree Ambassador Project a success. As a nonprofit, Restoring Earth Connection is always looking for volunteers to help with projects. “We have an action group, Friends of Trees, that meets once a month on the second Thursday, which works to try to protect trees in our community by getting a stronger tree ordinance,” share Lynn. “Both Olympia and Tumwater are redoing their tree ordinance this year and we hope to ensure that those are strong tree ordinances.”
The group also offers a range of classes through the City of Olympia Parks, Arts, & Recreation. Current classes include braiding sweetgrass, tree walks, tree ambassador training and more. They do special events throughout the year as well, including Earth Day events. “We also offer workshops on moving grief for the earth to action for the earth,” adds Lynn. “We led an endangered species project a year ago with all the sixth graders in Marshal Middle school. We have been awarded an Inspire grant for next year for a project we are calling the Climate Challenge. Participants will come to monthly in-person meetings where we will look at different topics and how to lower our carbon footprint and the policy change that needs to accompany that.
“We, in general, try to deepen people’s relationship to Earth because we know better policies and better ways of living on Earth will happen when that relationship is restored,” Lynn finishes.
To learn more and find the map for Olympia’s largest trees, visit the Restoring Earth Connection website.
