The large jack pine is located in Lake Bronson State Park. They don't even highlight it in their literature! What's up with that? I'm pretty sure I've been to the park at least 30 times over the years and I've never heard about it.
Well, as it turns out, it's not real easy to get to. One has to walk about 2 miles through the woods:
I walked about 3/4 mile when I realized I didn't have enough mosquito repellant on. I was going to have to turn around and miss this opportunity. Then, a small miracle happened. Right there in the middle of the trail was a can of Deep Woods Off! I drenched myself in it and continued on my way.
Well, I finally saw a sign pointing to the right that said something like "Large Pine". I was the only one there. I hadn't seen anyone on the trail during the whole walk. As it turns out I wouldn't see anyone on the way back either... I walked about 150 feet down the trail to a small opening. The opening isn't even large enough to capture the whole tree in the photo. Well, here it is:
Okay, it's a humble Jack Pine. It's not a Sequoia. This is what Jack Pines look like. It's approximately 56 feet tall and 116 inches around (although there's no plaque or monument at the site providing this information).
And no, it's not dead, JaNae. Here's a photo showing the needles near the top:
As far as I can tell, these are the first pictures of this tree on the internet. (I suppose now the floodgates will open and tourists from all over the world will visit the park.)
3 comments:
To be the first on the internet, to stand alone on the internet. . .that's a mighty feat. Perhaps not on par with Daniel of "lion's den" fame, but impressive all the same.
You didn't tell us how you found this wonderful tree, did you? I thought it looked rather dead, also!
Rode bike to see it last weekend. In my opinion it's not a typical Jack pine and it is not located in a typical jackpine stand. Very few if any others around it. Looks to me like it's vertical growth was stunted by the winds from the open areas just north of it so it's girth increased instead. I'm curious to know if anyone has ever done a core sample? The trunk is massive, might be a good candidate for the OLDEST Jack Pine!
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