Description of Historic Place

The Red Cedar Stump is a highly visible landmark, on a City lot that extends into the front yard of a single family lot in a mature urban residential area, consisting of thirty to forty year old single family houses. The stump is approximately nine metres in circumference and about four metres high.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of this Western Red Cedar stump lies in the fact that it is a remnant of the first growth trees in North Surrey, representing the landscape of pre-European settlement. This stump reveals the maturity and scale of the natural landscape in the area, prior to European settlement.

Forestry played a crucial role in Surrey's settlement and development and the Red Cedar Stump is evidence of the extent of the local logging industry in the early 1900s. It was the high quality of Surrey's forests which attracted many people and a number of logging and milling firms, to the district. It is estimated that the tree was over 500 years old at the time it was cut. This stump provides some context of the size of the trees cleared by the early loggers. It has springboard markings that were notches cut into trees allowing loggers to insert a board and stand higher up off the ground to cut the tree.

With its designation, the Red Cedar Stump illustrates the City of Surrey's commitment to recognizing and preserving its natural heritage.

Source: Heritage Planning Files, City of Surrey

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements that define the heritage character of the Red Cedar Stump include its:
- original location;
- prominence and visibility along Queen Mary Boulevard; and
- size, girth and springboard markings.