Iconic "drive through" sequoia gone due to excessive rain

[BBL]

Quote: "The Pioneer Cabin Tree, estimated to be more than 1,000 years old, toppled from its historic height in Calaveras Big Trees State Park in Calaveras County, California, over the weekend."

https://www.yahoo.com/news/1-000-old...170009488.html

[SemperFi]

That's a shame. It's hard to imagine how old it was.

[Chewbacca]

1000 years is a pretty good run.

[cop414]

That's a shame, would have lived to have seen that someday.

[cda555]

Glad we went up last year. Shame.

[Wesley Crusher]

Sad. I visited as a kid.

[Sublover2166]

Originally Posted by SemperFi

That's a shame. It's hard to imagine how old it was.

They are the oldest living things on Earth! I seen them in the flesh, and they are truly magnificent hulking trees! Incredibly huge.

[Old Expat Beast]

Very sad, but i guess that's what eventually happens when you carve a tunnel through a tree. Can't really blame it all on the weather.

[BristolCavendish]

From a forestry/environmental perspective, sequoias (aka redwood trees) have shallower root systems compared to other trees which is why they tend to thrive and are found in moister environments like fern groves and on the darker, wetter sides of an eco/micro system.

Cutting that large an opening pretty much reduced the tree's ability to sustain itself as the countless channels designed to transport water and soil nutrients to (and throughout) its mass were destroyed in the process. It's kind of like a 'dead tooth' after an endodontic procedure.

In retrospect and despite the 'novelty' of driving through a tree, it would have been easier (on the tree) had they designed the road around it. Today's environmental and conservationist awareness would never have permitted such a gimmicky side-show feature.

[77T]

I had gone through it in the '60's and sorry it's now gone. 1000ish in sequoia years translates to a mere 40 years in human terms. The General Sherman is over 2300 y.o. and still standing.

[Old Expat Beast]

I think the one more commonly seen on postcards was the Wawona Tree, which fell in 1969: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wawona_Tree

[brandrea]

Originally Posted by Old Expat Beast

Very sad, but i guess that's what eventually happens when you carve a tunnel through a tree. Can't really blame it all on the weather.

[77T]

Originally Posted by BristolCavendish

From a forestry/environmental perspective, sequoias (aka redwood trees) have shallower root systems compared to other trees which is why they tend to thrive and are found in moister environments like fern groves and on the darker, wetter sides of an eco/micro system.

Cutting that large an opening pretty much reduced the tree's ability to sustain itself as the countless channels designed to transport water and soil nutrients to (and throughout) its mass were destroyed in the process. It's kind of like a 'dead tooth' after an endodontic procedure.

In retrospect and despite the 'novelty' of driving through a tree, it would have been easier (on the tree) had they designed the road around it. Today's environmental and conservationist awareness would never have permitted such a gimmicky side-show feature.

The struggle to save these noble trees goes back over 100 years. The pressure to cut them all down was immense when logging was threatening entire forests. An interesting letter from John Muir set forth a case for protection: http://vault.sierraclub.org/john_mui...oods_1920.aspx

A couple of them were hewn into tourist interest points to attract visitors and thereby build a constituency that would support the effort to save the rest.

[BBL]

Hey Expat - that was a great pic!
Does anyone else have pics of them visiting these grand trees? My experience there was unforgettable, but I don't have one pic anywhere.
DM

[Tri-Tip]

I have friends that live a bit down the hill from Big Trees.

They took me up there, but for some reason, I didn't see this one to drive or walk through.

There was a huge stump, probably 20 feet across. The plaque said that it was cut down to make a dance floor...right on the stump. Sadly, that was the biggest tree in the park and was cut down back in California Gold Rush Days.