Took a drive up to Mount Vernon area today and got to see the champion tulip poplar tree at the corner of Snoqualmie and Cleveland streets. It is truly massive, and is estimated at about 140 years old although more research is being done to determine its exact age.

However, according to the Meyer Sign blog, at least twice in its lifetime this tree was at risk. The first time was when it had severely buckled the sidewalks around it and the city wanted to remove the tree but ultimately decided to redesign the sidewalk around it. The second time was when it became infested with aphids. This would not necessarily kill the tree, but the droppings from the aphids were making a slick mess underneath the tree, generating many complaints. Rather than remove the tree, the city decided to hire professionals to inject the root system with an application which got rid of the aphids systematically.

You can read more about this tree in the Meyer Sign blog “Tales from the Magic Skagit: A (Tulip Poplar) Tree Grows in Mount Vernon (Pt. 1)” and “Tales from the Magic Skagit: A (Tulip Poplar) Tree Grows in Mount Vernon (Pt. 2)”