We often become very comfortable with our neighbors and don’t really pay attention to them. They will always be around.
When Lewis and Clark came West everything was new to them. By trails end they had described 178 plants and 122 animals previously unrecorded for science. The Sitka Spruce, a species new to science, was described in detail by Meriwether Lewis on Tuesday, February 4, 1806.
" there are several species of fir in this neighborhood which I shall describe as well as my slender botanical skill will enable me... grows to immense size; very commonly 27 feet in the girth six feet above the surface of the earth, and in several instances we have found them as much as 36 feet in the girth or 12 feet diameter perfectly solid and entire. they frequently rise to the height of 230 feet, and one hundred and twenty or 30 of that height without a limb."
Until last night (December 2, 2007) Modern-day explorers could view a Giant Sitka at Klootchy Creek Park, Oregon. Klootchy Creek Giant - aka the Seaside Spruce- is a Sitka Spruce that stands 216 feet tall, measures 56 feet in circumference and has a crown that spreads 93 feet. That makes it the biggest tree in the State of Oregon and the biggest Sitka Spruce in the Country. The Klootchy giant has been named Oregon's first Heritage Tree, a program that recognizes trees for their connection to Oregon History.
Klootchy Creek Giant is located southeast of Seaside, Oregon on Highway
The 750-year-old Oregon tree is most likely the state's oldest and has been admired through time, said Paul Ries, forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry. "We know foresters passed up that tree when they were scouting for lumber during World War I," he said.
During WWI logger were recruited and assigned to the Spruce Division. Their job was to log the giant spruces in Oregon and Washington. Spruce was an ideal wood for manufacturing aircraft.
The Sitka has been an Oregon icon. A sign on U.S. 26, some 1 1/2 miles east of its junction with Highway 101, diverts a steady stream of traffic across a single-lane bridge into a parking lot not far from the base of the majestic tree. Though many motorists make it a point to visit the Sitka on their way to the coast, others simply see the sign, "Largest Sitka spruce tree in the United States," and turn in out of curiosity.
Five decades ago the The Klootchy Creek Giant was struck by lightening and the tree was badly damaged during winter storms in 2006. The tree was allowed to stand while visitors are kept a safe distance in case it falls.
Now those people who drive pass the sign and said “some day we’ll stop” have missed an opportunity to visit a giant and a living legend. Of course they can always drive North and visit a sister tree that Washington claims is just as big.
When Lewis and Clark came West everything was new to them. By trails end they had described 178 plants and 122 animals previously unrecorded for science. The Sitka Spruce, a species new to science, was described in detail by Meriwether Lewis on Tuesday, February 4, 1806.
" there are several species of fir in this neighborhood which I shall describe as well as my slender botanical skill will enable me... grows to immense size; very commonly 27 feet in the girth six feet above the surface of the earth, and in several instances we have found them as much as 36 feet in the girth or 12 feet diameter perfectly solid and entire. they frequently rise to the height of 230 feet, and one hundred and twenty or 30 of that height without a limb."
Until last night (December 2, 2007) Modern-day explorers could view a Giant Sitka at Klootchy Creek Park, Oregon. Klootchy Creek Giant - aka the Seaside Spruce- is a Sitka Spruce that stands 216 feet tall, measures 56 feet in circumference and has a crown that spreads 93 feet. That makes it the biggest tree in the State of Oregon and the biggest Sitka Spruce in the Country. The Klootchy giant has been named Oregon's first Heritage Tree, a program that recognizes trees for their connection to Oregon History.
Klootchy Creek Giant is located southeast of Seaside, Oregon on Highway
The 750-year-old Oregon tree is most likely the state's oldest and has been admired through time, said Paul Ries, forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry. "We know foresters passed up that tree when they were scouting for lumber during World War I," he said.
During WWI logger were recruited and assigned to the Spruce Division. Their job was to log the giant spruces in Oregon and Washington. Spruce was an ideal wood for manufacturing aircraft.
The Sitka has been an Oregon icon. A sign on U.S. 26, some 1 1/2 miles east of its junction with Highway 101, diverts a steady stream of traffic across a single-lane bridge into a parking lot not far from the base of the majestic tree. Though many motorists make it a point to visit the Sitka on their way to the coast, others simply see the sign, "Largest Sitka spruce tree in the United States," and turn in out of curiosity.
Five decades ago the The Klootchy Creek Giant was struck by lightening and the tree was badly damaged during winter storms in 2006. The tree was allowed to stand while visitors are kept a safe distance in case it falls.
Now those people who drive pass the sign and said “some day we’ll stop” have missed an opportunity to visit a giant and a living legend. Of course they can always drive North and visit a sister tree that Washington claims is just as big.
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