Removing a 46-Inch Beaver-Damaged Poplar at UW’s Historic Shell House

A mature, approximately 46-inch Lombardy poplar stood behind the historic University of Washington Shell House. Beaver damage created the need for removal, while the tree’s size and waterfront location required a carefully planned approach.

PROJECT OVERVIEW

Seattle Tree Care was brought to the University of Washington’s historic Shell House to remove a large, approximately 46-inch-diameter Lombardy poplar that had sustained significant damage from beaver activity. The size of the tree, combined with its location beside the historic Shell House and Lake Washington waterfront, required a carefully coordinated removal designed to control large sections of wood while minimizing disturbance to the surrounding property.

The project called for a five-person crew and specialized equipment including a crane, grapple, large chip truck, and wood chipper; protective mats and plywood were also deployed to help protect the grounds while heavy equipment operated onsite.

THE CHALLENGE

Removing a tree of this size requires significantly more planning than a conventional residential removal. At approximately 46 inches in diameter, individual sections of the poplar represented substantial weight and could not simply be dropped into the surrounding landscape.

The tree was also located at a historically significant University of Washington property, making site protection and controlled material handling particularly important. Beaver damage had compromised the tree and created the need for removal, while the location required Seattle Tree Care to balance three priorities: safely dismantle a very large tree, protect the surrounding property, and minimize the operational footprint of the removal.

OUR APPROACH

Seattle Tree Care developed a crane-assisted removal plan that allowed large sections of the tree to be secured before they were cut. Instead of allowing heavy limbs and trunk sections to fall to the ground, the crane supported and lifted material away from the tree in a controlled manner, giving the crew greater control over where each section traveled.

Once material reached the ground, a grapple mechanically handled and moved large sections of wood, reducing manual handling and keeping the ground operation efficient. A large-capacity chip truck and AX-19 wood chipper supported debris processing, while protective mats and plywood were installed within the work area to distribute equipment loads and reduce disturbance to the grounds. The operation required continuous coordination between the climber, crane operator, grapple operator, ground crew, and onsite project management.

HISTORIC SETTING

This wasn’t an ordinary jobsite. The project took place behind the University of Washington’s historic Shell House, a site deeply connected to Washington rowing history and the story made famous by The Boys in the Boat.

The setting created a fitting parallel with the work itself: a technical crane removal depends on many of the same fundamentals that define a successful rowing crew: each person has a specialized role, timing matters, communication is constant, and the entire operation succeeds only when everyone works together. Seattle Tree Care documented the project in a video featuring the removal with Husky Stadium and the Lake Washington waterfront as its backdrop.

Following the controlled removal, specified wood and debris were hauled from the site and a low stump was retained, with minimal disturbance to the historic Shell House grounds.

THE RESULT

The approximately 46-inch beaver-damaged Lombardy poplar was successfully removed, with all specified wood and debris hauled from the site and the stump left low in accordance with the project scope. Despite the scale of the tree and equipment involved, the crew recorded approximately 4.9 hours of onsite work, representing 25.21 total man-hours.

WHY THIS PROJECT MATTERS

Large-tree removal isn’t simply a matter of having equipment capable of handling a large tree; the real value comes from planning how the tree, equipment, crew, and surrounding property interact before the first cut is made. On this project, Seattle Tree Care combined arboricultural expertise, crane operations, mechanical material handling, site protection, and coordinated project management to remove a large compromised tree from a historically significant Seattle property.