The giant sequoia lies across the popular Trail of 100 Giants at Sequoia National Forest, Calif. No one was hurt when it fell. (Sequoia National Forest / September 30, 2011)
Posted on 10/29/2011 12:26:50 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
The giant sequoia lies across the popular Trail of 100 Giants at Sequoia National Forest, Calif. No one was hurt when it fell. (Sequoia National Forest / September 30, 2011)
Along the Sierra Nevada's famed Trail of 100 Giants, the mammoth sequoia had stood sentry since King Arthur's knights gathered at the Round Table.
It witnessed the arrival of the first European settlers and the flurry of miners in search of gold. The onset of the Medieval Warm Period and the passing of the Little Ice Age. It stood, unperturbed, through the Great War and the one that followed.
Then a month ago, as a handful of amazed tourists looked on, it toppled — crushing a bridge over a small stream and blocking the path.
Now, the U.S. Forest Service must decide what to do.
Slice a big hole in the 300-foot-long roadblock? Go around it? Over it? Under it?
When you're dealing with a 1,500-year-old sequoia in a national monument, the questions aren't just logistical. They're environmental, emotive and potentially legal.
Officials closed the popular tourist trail, cleared the debris and solicited ideas from the public on how to deal with the fallen giant — actually two trees fused at the base.
Among the 30 or so suggestions: Reroute the trail. Tunnel under the trunks. Carve steps and build a bridge over them. Sell what would be one heck of a lot of firewood.
"This has not happened in the Sequoia National Forest before," said public affairs officer Denise Alonzo, explaining the indecision.........
In considering its options, the Forest Service wants to keep the paved path accessible to the disabled and make sure nothing is done to damage the root systems of surrounding trees, Alonzo said........
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
CUT THE F*&KING THING UP!!!
Man, we have become a country of absolute idiots!!
How about sell it for lumber and send the proceeds to the treasury.
Actually, you sound like the idiot.
I say, bore a big ol’hole in it and make it a natural bridge/tunnel that people can just stroll through.
I didn’t hear a thing.
It’s dead, Jim!
Make some steps, a tunnel, some nice planks and burn the rest in the wood stove.
This is California.. why, oh why, do I get the idea that some idiot will actually want to have a public funeral? The death of a tree.. boo hoo hoo.
Yes, but you are still wrong...
And check to see if King Arthur and the Knights get a decent burial, since this tree witnessed their lives.
Oh, and change that sign from "100 Giants" to "99 Giants", pronto.
That way people can stop and count the rings.
Make some REAL money by selling to the public one inch square pieces sealed in Lucite. The liberal weinies especially the greens will pay plenty. All money goes t the trsury for debt reduction.
Let's form a drum circle, hold hands, and weep for Mother Gaia's lost child.
BTW, how do you cut and split a 17 foot diameter tree?
...and use the wood to make a table and chairs and sell it for a million dollars.
Only the federal govt could dither and wring their hands over a dead tree.
It didn't witness anything,it's a tree.
Cut it up but not just for lumber. Sell it online at auctions and in tourist shops as a piece of natural history. Proceeds go to reducing our debt.
Some pieces could be made into furniture or other items and because of the historic value priced accordingly.
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