The Sitka spruce is one of the largest trees in the world, living many hundreds of years and sometimes growing to over 150' tall, which is even comparable to the mighty redwoods of California. This particular tree grew in northern Canada, up near the Alaskan border. It had a genetic defect that caused the needles to be a beautiful golden color, and was unique in all of the world of trees. Sadly, a misguided logger, who thought he would bring attention to the blight of overlogging an area, cut the golden spruce tree down. He was arrested, but disappeared before he could be brought to trial for the crime. He was last seen in his kayak heading towards the island where he was supposed to stand trial, and his kayak was eventually found on another island. No one knows for sure whether he was murdered, died accidentally in heavy seas, or maybe left the kayak to throw people off the trail, and escaped to some other country. The tree was a legend with the local Native American tribe that lived near there, and the tree was much mourned not only by the Indians, but also by woodsmen and botanists all over the world. There was even a book written about the famous tree and the man who mowed it down, called "The Golden Spruce". According to the article that I am linking here, I think that some of the wood from the fabled Spruce tree was used to make a special edition guitar. In any case, here are some beautiful pictures of the golden Sitka Spruce. http://symphontreemusic.com/golden-spruce/
@Yvonne Smith Not intending to toss cold water on a well-intended fact, the object of my eternal tree affection is the Sequoia, 300 feet high not unheard of, twice the height of the Redwoods. The Redwood, of course, is a much more extensively-growing species than the Sequoia, which is found mainly in Sequoia National Park, and Kings Canyon National Park. I have visited both Sequoia and Redwoods numerous times, and marveled at the great extent of Redwoods prevalence compared to Sequoias. I seem to recall Redwoods as being close to the seacoast, whereas Sequoia is well-inland, close to the Nevada border. Frank
It is a sad story, @Patsy Faye , and after reading the initial information about the tree, I searched for more information about the man who took the chainsaw to such a unique tree. He was apparently not quite mentally balanced, although of very high intelligence. For some reason, he thought that killing this one tree would focus people on the clear-cut logging that was going on in the northwest at that time (and still goes on there). Even after he was arrested, he could not understand why people were angry at him, and not seeing what he was trying to make an example of. Apparently, some of the cuttings from the tree have survived, and one was given to the town closest to where the original tree grew. It now lives in their town square, well-protected by a tall fence, and also much loved by the people there. Another interesting story that I found also concerns logging in the Pacific Northwest; but this one is not such a sad story. Back when the early settlers moved to the western coast of the United States, the land still had all of the old-growth timber on it, which was being cut down by logging companies. This left enormous stumps on the land, many of them over 10' tall. The pioneers used these as shelters for their chickens and livestock, and even as temporary homes until they could build their own house. They had to hollow out the stump and add a roof on top, and then they had a safe place to shelter from the rain and snow, and to keep their animals safe from wild predators. Here are some pictures, which are amazing ! https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/11/10/trust-us-stump-houses-were-a-thing-2/
My goodness - you have to admire these people for making do with what they have - amazing I have put that site in me favourites - looks interesting As for the initial story - I'm so pleased to hear they could salvage something - so pleased
How sad to destroy nature. A majestic specimen but the log cabin is so cute. There is a story of a bird who was a great mimic @Yvonne Smith. In the Amazon forest that is cleared way and above its capacity to regenerate. The only sound the bird now makes is the sound of a chainsaw. How sad is that
David Attenborough who is my hero relayed it on a talk show. I am not ashamed to say brought a tear to my eye x