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July 2016
mountains to sea
Farewell to the giant of Black Mountain Elspeth Bradbury
T
he largest recorded amabilis fir in the world has died. The magnificent tree, which grew in a gully on the north side of Black Mountain in Cypress Provincial
Bob Sitter pays his respects to the giant amabilis fir.
Park, reached the end of its life last year. It is by no means the only outstanding tree in the park. A mountain hemlock on the west side of Hollyburn Mountain may hold another world-record, and a number of huge yellowcedars, including the Roadside Yellow-cedar and the long-dead Hollyburn Giant on the Old Strachan Trail, have stood for well over 1,000 years. Since West Vancouver’s Randy Stoltmann and his brother Greg began seeking and recording remarkable trees in the 1980s, many others have followed in their footsteps and the number of known
Photo: Courtesy of Larry Marshik
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giants has grown. Now, Bob Sitter has joined the ranks of the big-tree hunters. Bob is a retired forester and a mountaineer. Along with photographer Larry Marshik and a group of “like-minded back-country fellows”, he has been hiking the forests of the North Shore for many years. Urged on by Hugh Hamilton - for so long the go-to guy for all things forest in West Vancouver - he is proposing a comprehensive inventory of notable native trees. He has designed a standard format for recording data and is working with the Old Growth Conservancy Society on a plan to receive and verify proposals from the public for trees that might qualify. West Vancouver Parks has agreed to maintain such an inventory. Bob is quick to point out that
Photo: Courtesy of Marshall Bauman Bob Sitter describes a tree-hunting expedition.
‘notable’ refers not only to size and age but also to features such as interesting history, location or rarity. The main purpose of the list will be to ensure the conservation of the trees, but Bob believes that it will also help people to appreciate just how remarkable our forests are. His enthusiasm for the project is obvious. “There’s a western white pine above Yew Lake. You can see it from the picnic table, away up the slope, head and shoulders above the other trees. But seeing it in the distance is not the same as finding it on the ground. We searched for a long time.” He smiles as he remembers their delight when finally the cry went up: “We got it!” On another snowshoe expedition to Hollyburn Mountain, the group discovered not one huge yellow-cedar but a whole grove. “Fabulous - very, very large.” Although the project focuses on notable individual trees, Bob’s interest goes much deeper. “It’s the forest itself that’s really remarkable. Starting around 1,000 meter elevation, it has grown almost undisturbed for thousands of years. Hardly any fire. Few pathogens. Optimal conditions for growth with sheltered slopes, well drained glacial and alluvial till. With trees over 1,000 years old, imagine how few generations there have been since the ice age! The whole area is a museum of natural history.” And what of that record breaking amabilis fir, now deceased? Should we regret its passing? Tree people tend to be pragmatic. Trees like that grow for hundreds of years until finally they reach the end of their life span, but that’s only the first part of their story. The amabilis fir and the Hollyburn Giant will probably stand tall for hundreds of years to come, invaluable habitat. Eventually, little by little over many more centuries, their substance will become another part of another forest generation. No need to mourn!
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