Biologist Finds Behemoth Tree In North Vancouver Almost As Wide As Boeing 747 Plane Cabin

Ian Thomas measured a western red cedar in North Vancouver, BC to be 4.8 to 5.8 meters in diameter. If Thomas’ preliminary measurements are correct, the behemoth he found at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park would barely fit in the cabin of a Boeing 747. The tree’s diameter at breast height (DBH) has yet to be officially verified and could end up being up to a meter short of his estimate of 5.8 meters, he said, depending on how it is measured on a steep, steep slope . Regardless of its exact size, there is no doubt that the massive tree is very, very old. It came at the end of about 10 hours, Thomas told Gloria Makarenko, host of CBC’s On The Coast, on Monday. “I spend a lot of time studying satellite maps and government datasets — and just getting rid of these incredible, endangered ancient forests that we’re so lucky to have, some of them, here in B.C. He and colleague Colin Spratt nicknamed the awe-inspiring tree they found in a grove of “primitive” red cedars The North Shore Giant. Big tree researcher Colin Spratt stands with a very large western red cedar in North Vancouver’s Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. He and biologist Ian Thomas measured the diameter at breast height (DBH) as 5.8 meters, although another method could reduce it to 4.8 meters, making it still one of the largest trees on record e.g. X. (John Thomas) The tree is found in the territories of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Its director of Treaty, Lands and Resources said western red cedars have been used by his people for everything from canoes, clothing and buildings to ceremonial and medicinal uses. “Everything from the roots to the branches to the trunks,” Gabriel George said in a telephone interview. “For our people, it’s medicine…Cedar is sacred to us.” Hearing about the find made his “heart happy” and he hoped it would remind others of the importance of the few remaining ancient old-growth forests of BC. “When I saw that picture and heard that story, it was so moving,” she said. Even though this particular cedar is in an already protected area, Thomas said it’s a reminder of how blessed the province is to still have such natural wonders. “You are meeting one of the largest and oldest living things on this planet,” he said. “It’s almost like seeing a blue whale or a northern white rhino — that part of that rich, wild world.” According to University of BC forestry professor Robert Guy, large western red cedars host “ecosystems in most of their branches.” “A tree of this size must be very old,” he said. “They can be 1,000 or 2,000 years old. We have trees on the North Shore that are approaching 2,000 years old.” Because red cedars become hollow as they age, it is often impossible to measure their inner rings like other trees. On The Coast 10: 382,000-year-old western red cedar found in remote North Vancouver A massive western red cedar has been discovered in a remote part of North Vancouver and it turns out it may be one of the largest left of its kind. We chat with one of the tree hunters who discovered this North Coast giant. According to the University of BC’s Big Tree Registry, a tree with a diameter of 5.8 meters would be the fourth widest on record. The previous seven record-toppers are all on Vancouver Island, with the largest being a six-metre western red cedar in Pacific Rim National Park. At Lynn Headwaters, the largest diameter recorded for a tree was 5.1 meters, also a red cedar. Any tree over 4.8 meters wide would be in the province’s top 13 ranking. The registry could not be reached for comment on Thomas’ preliminary measurements. He said a member of his committee is in the process of verifying the size of the tree. Based on photos, Guy said, the tree appears unhealthy, a phenomenon he said is increasingly common in B.C. “Red cedar shows more signs of distress in recent years than other … species in times of drought,” he said. “Which is probably related to climate change. “So I guess another thing about these trees is that they remind us that they’ve been through a lot—but they might not make it through the next hundred years or so.”

title: “Biologist Finds Behemoth Tree In North Vancouver Almost As Wide As Boeing 747 Plane Cabin " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-13” author: “Ella Mohabir”

Ian Thomas measured a western red cedar in North Vancouver, BC to be 4.8 to 5.8 meters in diameter. If Thomas’ preliminary measurements are correct, the behemoth he found at Lynn Headwaters Regional Park would barely fit in the cabin of a Boeing 747. The tree’s diameter at breast height (DBH) has yet to be officially verified and could end up being up to a meter short of his estimate of 5.8 meters, he said, depending on how it is measured on a steep, steep slope . Regardless of its exact size, there is no doubt that the massive tree is very, very old. It came at the end of about 10 hours, Thomas told Gloria Makarenko, host of CBC’s On The Coast, on Monday. “I spend a lot of time studying satellite maps and government datasets — and just getting rid of these incredible, endangered ancient forests that we’re so lucky to have, some of them, here in B.C. He and colleague Colin Spratt nicknamed the awe-inspiring tree they found in a grove of “primitive” red cedars The North Shore Giant. Big tree researcher Colin Spratt stands with a very large western red cedar in North Vancouver’s Lynn Headwaters Regional Park. He and biologist Ian Thomas measured the diameter at breast height (DBH) as 5.8 meters, although another method could reduce it to 4.8 meters, making it still one of the largest trees on record e.g. X. (John Thomas) The tree is found in the territories of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. Its director of Treaty, Lands and Resources said western red cedars have been used by his people for everything from canoes, clothing and buildings to ceremonial and medicinal uses. “Everything from the roots to the branches to the trunks,” Gabriel George said in a telephone interview. “For our people, it’s medicine…Cedar is sacred to us.” Hearing about the find made his “heart happy” and he hoped it would remind others of the importance of the few remaining ancient old-growth forests of BC. “When I saw that picture and heard that story, it was so moving,” she said. Even though this particular cedar is in an already protected area, Thomas said it’s a reminder of how blessed the province is to still have such natural wonders. “You are meeting one of the largest and oldest living things on this planet,” he said. “It’s almost like seeing a blue whale or a northern white rhino — that part of that rich, wild world.” According to University of BC forestry professor Robert Guy, large western red cedars host “ecosystems in most of their branches.” “A tree of this size must be very old,” he said. “They can be 1,000 or 2,000 years old. We have trees on the North Shore that are approaching 2,000 years old.” Because red cedars become hollow as they age, it is often impossible to measure their inner rings like other trees. On The Coast 10: 382,000-year-old western red cedar found in remote North Vancouver A massive western red cedar has been discovered in a remote part of North Vancouver and it turns out it may be one of the largest left of its kind. We chat with one of the tree hunters who discovered this North Coast giant. According to the University of BC’s Big Tree Registry, a tree with a diameter of 5.8 meters would be the fourth widest on record. The previous seven record-toppers are all on Vancouver Island, with the largest being a six-metre western red cedar in Pacific Rim National Park. At Lynn Headwaters, the largest diameter recorded for a tree was 5.1 meters, also a red cedar. Any tree over 4.8 meters wide would be in the province’s top 13 ranking. The registry could not be reached for comment on Thomas’ preliminary measurements. He said a member of his committee is in the process of verifying the size of the tree. Based on photos, Guy said, the tree appears unhealthy, a phenomenon he said is increasingly common in B.C. “Red cedar shows more signs of distress in recent years than other … species in times of drought,” he said. “Which is probably related to climate change. “So I guess another thing about these trees is that they remind us that they’ve been through a lot—but they might not make it through the next hundred years or so.”