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Fire claims an old one

Posted by toronado3800 Z6 St. Louis (My Page) on
Mon, Jan 16, 12 at 19:09

"LONGWOOD, Fla. (AP) � Investigators are ruling out arson after one of the world's oldest cypress trees caught fire and collapsed in central Florida.

Division of Forestry spokesman Cliff Frazier tells the Orlando Sentinel (http://thesent.nl/xBjd2H) the fire was not the work of an arsonist. The exact cause has not yet been determined.

Seminole County Fire Rescue spokesman Steve Wright says the 118-foot-tall bald cypress tree named "The Senator" burned for several hours early Monday. Wright says a 20-foot section of the top fell first and then rest of the tree collapsed.

The county parks department says ring samples showed the tree was roughly 3,500 years old.

The tree was named for a 1920s state senator who donated what is now Big Tree Park to the county."

http://m.yahoo.com/w/news_america/historic-tree-catches-fire-central-f lorida-park-141332861.html?orig_host_hdr=news.yahoo.com&.intl=us&.lang =en-us


Follow-Up Postings:

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RE: Fire claims an old one

  • Posted by j0nd03 7 west/central AR (My Page) on
    Mon, Jan 16, 12 at 19:18

Saw this earlier today :(

What a strikingly strong and handsome looking tree. Nothing lasts forever but you have to wonder at this stage if foul play was involved...

Here is a link that might be useful: Pics


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RE: Fire claims an old one

last i heard it was not arson ... an occurrence of nature.. just like the tree itself ...

the circle of life...

# 6 is pumped .. to take over the #5 spot .. lol ... it was seen doing a Tebow .... rotf ....

ken


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RE: Fire claims an old one

  • Posted by j0nd03 7 west/central AR (My Page) on
    Tue, Jan 17, 12 at 14:16

Apparently, the fire was most intense at the top indicating a possible lightening strike that had smoldered a while before catching the rest of the tree on fire.

Here is a link that might be useful: Florida Department of Ag preliminary findings


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RE: Fire claims an old one

What an amazing tree - so sad this happened.


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RE: Fire claims an old one

  • Posted by j0nd03 7 west/central AR (My Page) on
    Tue, Jan 17, 12 at 16:27

The largest remaining bald cypress?

Here is a link that might be useful: Alabama Champion


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RE: Fire claims an old one

There has been no lightning anywhere around here in weeks, if not months. Hard to believe it has smoldered that long..


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RE: Fire claims an old one

Florida is said to be the lightning capital of the US. Maybe you were sleeping salicacae! Seriously that is probably how the fire started, how else can it get that high up? That's my best guess anyway.


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RE: Fire claims an old one

Salicaceae just posted this in the conifer forum. Sad...

Here is a link that might be useful: The reason


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