The Loss of a Friend

[resqme]

Originally Posted by WLDWUN

If it come to that I will offer to help cut some slabs from it. I have a saw that would work on something that size

You know me, Rick, I'm not afraid to run a saw. The way the tree fell it is bridged across the trail with maybe 4 feet of air under it...you can literally walk under it, and that's with the snow...might be a bunch more than that once the snow melts. It's gonna have to be jacked or wedged REALLY well with extra long saws in attendance to cut out the bound one in order to remove it.

And then there's the problem of the multi-ton tree falling six feet once it's cut.

Without heavy equipment, it's gonna be a bugger!

[renolaw]

if there is room underneath, leave it be as a sort of viewing platform. This for years was on the trail near gold lake until the Feds cut it up.

[atvobsession]

Originally Posted by rockbuggy84

Really confused on why taking a piece of the tree is such a bad thing?

I'm no lawyer...but my guess is the main issue is not taking a branch or whatever.....the main problem is the tree is on a county road, therefore the County could/would be liable if any "treasure" seekers were hurt by a falling branch.

Originally Posted by rockbuggy84

trying to "police" this is pure greed

There have been a ton of great ideas....and I don't think people should stop thinking up ideas. There's no "greed" involved here. No person, is going to make a million dollars selling tree keychains or whatever. Any of the proceeds from any of the ideas implemented would go to offset the cost of removal and back to the trail in other projects.

[CJ]

Originally Posted by resqme

I saw this happen to several trees up there this year, and in my experience it is unusual. Maybe the right/wrong combination of lack of snow, wet soil and wind? I don't have the expertise to offer that kind of opinion, but like I said, I haven't really seen this happen before up there.

Maybe they were vandalized by the opposition to trail use, with their intentions to put the blame on us in an attempt to restrict use

[ryan_ackerman]

Originally Posted by renolaw

a bench is a great idea but vandals will see it as easy firewood. The best idea IMO is for RTF and related entities to be there when the sawyers hit it and load up the RTF trailers with some rounds and store them somewhere until decision is made, like at Merlin's or ?? Or we form a trailer brigade-- i can help.

If ownership is authorized, small chunks with certificate of authenticity is an awesome fund raiser idea. True fans of the trail will line up for a piece of history. Larger pieces for plaques, ceremonial events maybe some in the springs, etc.
Maybe my Clamper brothers can place a satisfactory metal plaque on the rootball site?

sounds like a good job for chapter 86, after all, we are the rubicon clampers

[Bebe]

Originally Posted by CJ

Maybe they were vandalized by the opposition to trail use, with their intentions to put the blame on us in an attempt to restrict use

HTG - I would not be surprised...I'm just glad someone else said it.

[FuzzyZ]

Sad to see the loss of something so historic. If anything can be worked out with the county for the use of wood from that tree to help the trail and that area of it, that should be only way to go and only thought we all should have. Weather it be to build some benches like stated or god forbid build some fenceing in that area to keep people off of parts of the trail they shouldn't be.

It will be interesting to see what those groups against us will come up with and say about that tree. I'm sure they will pull some interesting facts out of some where saying the fall was OHV related. So we also better be prepared.

[REDSKY1085]

Originally Posted by CJ

Maybe they were vandalized by the opposition to trail use, with their intentions to put the blame on us in an attempt to restrict use

This my friend is known as a FALSE FLAG....:

Im NOT saying that this is the case, .......Just a educational moment...
(This happens all too frequently within our world including our own gov....)


False flag operations are covert operations conducted by governments, corporations, or other organizations, which are designed to deceive the public in such a way that the operations appear as if they are being carried out by other entities. The name is derived from the military concept of flying false colors; that is, flying the flag of a country other than one's own. False flag operations are not limited to war and counter-insurgency operations, and have been used in peace-time.

http://www.wanttoknow.info/falseflag

[cruzila]

This is not likely in this case. There were no tracks in the deep snow and from my firsthand observations the entire rootball came away exposing the very few roots actually holding the tree there. i am surprised, knowing this, that it stood as long as it has.

There has been no claim made of any sort of blame. So, as it is a week now later, I am even more sure of mother natures wrath.

[atvobsession]

Originally Posted by cruzila

This is not likely in this case..

Tin foil hat on....

I don't know....they could have used a BIG sakorsky helicopter, the K rappelled down, while R held the release line steady....M, called it out....20 feet...15 feet...10 feet....then, using an anti-gravity strap (you know, to avoid any damage to the tree), K wrapped the old man, and pulled him right out and over.....

Tin foil hat off.

[the stinky truck]

I'm no tree huger but I would hug that tree!

[resqme]

Originally Posted by cruzila

... very few roots actually holding the tree there...

This struck me too. Wow, really? That 2" root held that tree up for all these years? There were almost no roots, and they were very small, though the few I could get to didn't appear rotten.

Like Scott said, "Mother Nature's wrath".

[fermentor]

Originally Posted by resqme

Like Scott said, "Mother Nature's wrath".

If that is the case, shouldn't there be some Ruby Slippers sticking out from underneath?

[Curly]

Originally Posted by resqme

This struck me too. Wow, really? That 2" root held that tree up for all these years? There were almost no roots, and they were very small, though the few I could get to didn't appear rotten.

Like Scott said, "Mother Nature's wrath".

I saw a massive Sugar Pine drop in the "Wind Event" of a few months back and I was also surprised at the lack of root depth. Makes sense I guess, when the things are growing in an environment of mostly granite.

With that said, I must admit I had to put on the old "Tin Foil Hat" also. The conspiracy theory did cross my mind and at this point in the game I wouldn't and can't discount any approach from our enemies

Tim.

[Kurtuleas]

Originally Posted by ky scrambled

Anyone wanna venture a guess on how old it was?

I called the forest service and asked.

Jeffery Pines, In the BEST conditions, can live to 400-500 years MAX.

The guy I talked to admitted that he was by no means an expert, but he *Guess-timated* that if the base was 4 feet in diameter...it could have been around 160 years old.

[fermentor]

Originally Posted by Kurtuleas

I called the forest service and asked.

Jeffery Pines, In the BEST conditions, can live to 400-500 years MAX.

The guy I talked to admitted that he was by no means an expert, but he *Guess-timated* that if the base was 4 feet in diameter...it could have been around 160 years old.

John called it a Juniper and it looks more like this and can reach 2200 years:

http://www.conifers.org/cu/Juniperus..._australis.php

Than this Jeffrey Pine which has hit 800 years:

http://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_jeffreyi.php

Anyone know for sure what it is?

[renolaw]

Its likely a combination of many factors in no certain order. Rocks pulled from the base, so-called erosion of base, old age, off camber orientation, heavy weight and high winds. They don't live forever. Earlier this winter just west of Reno there were isolated 'micro bursts' of intense winds that toppled a number of trees-- folded right over exposing a shallow horizontal root system.

[Kurtuleas]

Originally Posted by fermentor

Anyone know for sure what it is?

Oops. I thought it was a Jeffery Pine.

(Looks like John was right...)

[atvobsession]

it's WAY older than 160 years old. It was near this size 92 years ago.

It's a Juniper....they can live thousands.


If you look at the 1920 photo and the 2012 photos I posted...I think the loss of the rear branch that was counter balancing it, was the "beginning" of the end...which I don't know when that branch broke....but many years ago for sure.

I just made something pretty cool...should be able to post it shortly..

[rockthedog]

i'm sure most of us can recall a time spent on that bare open space when the wind was whipping hard not alot of protection there

[Bebe]

Originally Posted by fermentor

If that is the case, shouldn't there be some Ruby Slippers sticking out from underneath?

[atvobsession]

Originally Posted by Curly

I saw a massive Sugar Pine drop in the "Wind Event".

Anyone on Ice House this winter, has seen the MASSIVE pine that fell at the FS house just past Ice House campgrounds....it's huge.

[WLDWUN]

Originally Posted by atvobsession

Anyone on Ice House this winter, has seen the MASSIVE pine that fell at the FS house just past Ice House campgrounds....it's huge.

havnt seen that one...

now this is a tree.
John and I removed from Packsaddle pass after that wind storm

[atvobsession]

Originally Posted by WLDWUN

havnt seen that one...

now this is a tree.
John and I removed from Packsaddle pass after that wind storm

my echo chain saw could take that out....


The tree at the FS info house is probably just a little smaller....

[atvobsession]

Notice the large branch that broke decades ago, that likely was a counter-balance to the lean.


Rubicon - Little Sluice Tree - 92 year transition - YouTube