The North 47th Street Sweet Chestnut

This sweet chestnut is far wider than it is tall. Seattle's tree records give it a crown about 69 feet across on a tree only 47 feet high, over a trunk 73 inches thick, about 19 feet round. That is a low, broad tree on a very heavy base, and it grows on the private frontage of 502 North 47th Street in Fremont, where the city lists it as a Heritage Tree. Sweet chestnut is the chestnut of southern Europe, the one that ends up roasted. The city's inventory is the only source we have, and it is candid. Besides the measurements, it marks a defect in the trunk and a problem in the roots, without saying what either is. It does record that the tree has not been topped. A Heritage listing is a mark of regard, not a certificate of health. The pin is the city's point for the tree and has not been checked against the crown, so go by the address. A naturalist logged a plant within range in August 2023; nobody has confirmed it was this chestnut, so the register is the firm word that it stands. The lot is private, so look from the sidewalk. The Heritage bigleaf maple in Ross Playground is about 800 metres away. Nobody has published an age for this tree. If you know when it was planted, tell us.