How well do you know Southern Utah?

[oldno7]

This tree is somewhere in Southern Utah, it is said to be the only one of it's species in Utah, can you name the tree and location?

[oldno7]

The one in the background is about a 2' diameter Ponderosa

[oldno7]

more clues--

the cabin sits 50' from the tree.
the cabin and tree are at the end of this valley, against the mountain.

[oldno7]

we hiked 8 miles round trip to get to this place.

[oldno7]

no more than 25 miles from Zions South entrance.

[Bo_Beck]

This tree is somewhere in Southern Utah, it is said to be the only one of it's species in Utah, can you name the tree and location?

I have not been there, but I believe it is on the north eastern side of Pine Valley Mountain. Is it South Ash Creek? Somewhere west of New Harmony or Pintura?

[Bo_Beck]

This tree is somewhere in Southern Utah, it is said to be the only one of it's species in Utah, can you name the tree and location?

I have not been there, but I believe it is on the north eastern side of Pine Valley Mountain. Is it South Ash Creek? Somewhere west of New Harmony or Pintura?

Oh yeah...Isn't it a Giant Redwood?

[oldno7]

good guess Bo--not quite but good. :rockon:

I'll wait a couple hours before I give it away.

I think there are some locals on here that would know.

[Win]

I think it's a sequoia and it's located outside of Browse, if I'm not mistaken.
How cool is that little cabin.

Win

[oldno7]

Win is the Win-ner

[stefan]

This tree is somewhere in Southern Utah, it is said to be the only one of it's species in Utah, can you name the tree and location?

know this history behind this tree? i am guessing it was most likely planted between 100-200 years ago, but it's certainly not the only sequoia growing in utah either.

[oldno7]

Stefan
I e-mailed the forest service for the history of the tree, the reply was very informative and maybe de-bunks some common Southern Utah knowledge(or lack thereof)



Kurt, This is what we have record of regarding the Sequoia Tree at Browse.
The Guard Station was set up to be housing for a research group from our
Regional Office in Qgden Utah in 1933. They were to study Browse plants
(Thus the name) They set up 15 stations to analysis the plant life in the
immediate area. Sometime in 1935 they were given several Sequoia saplings
to put into locations down here in SW Utah to see if they would take off.
One went into Browse, two are still living at the entrance to Zion Park( I
have no ides where these are) and the rest were scattered in the area none
but these three are still alive. In the 1990's the Forest Service put
several new saplings into the area of Browse and the fire in 2005 took them
all out. The tree is 143 feet tall and the top 43 feet is dead, the tree
has grown branches up and around the dead so it looks full. There have been
approximately 7 coring' of the tree in the past few years and they all give
the date of the tree to around the 1930's our files indicate a date of 1935
for the planting but do not state how old the sapling was when planted. But
it indicated it was a sapling so it couldn't have been very old. Hope this
answers your question. Thanks for the interest in the tree it is really
cool isn't it?

Marian Jacklin

Heritage Program Manager
Dixie National Forest
1789 North Wedgewood
Cedar City Utah 84720
(435) 865-3746 fax:3791
mjacklin@fs.fed.us

[stefan]

many thanks kurt for obtaining this information,
quite interested and very cool tree.

[Jaxx]

wow, that is pretty cool. Not only the story of the trees but that she replied back to your email and seemed sincere. I wonder where the trees in Zion are, I haven't noticed them before.

[stefan]

wow, that is pretty cool. Not only the story of the trees but that she replied back to your email and seemed sincere. I wonder where the trees in Zion are, I haven't noticed them before.

(native) conifers in zion are primarily

ponderosa pine
two-leaf pi

[Jaxx]

In the letter to Kurt it mentions that there are two of the Sequoia trees still alive at the entrance to Zion. Does that mean near the toll booth or the road that T's to go up the canyon, or farther up canyon? I suspect that when they were planted in the 1930's that the "entrance" to Zion was in a different location than it is today.

[pestopolis]

that is way cool. I am going to Zions in May. Maybe I will make a Sequoia tree finding expedition with the wife. Thanks for the info, very interesting.

[trackrunner]

Stefan
I e-mailed the forest service for the history of the tree, the reply was very informative and maybe de-bunks some common Southern Utah knowledge(or lack thereof)



Kurt, This is what we have record of regarding the Sequoia Tree at Browse.
The Guard Station was set up to be housing for a research group from our
Regional Office in Qgden Utah in 1933. They were to study Browse plants
(Thus the name) They set up 15 stations to analysis the plant life in the
immediate area. Sometime in 1935 they were given several Sequoia saplings
to put into locations down here in SW Utah to see if they would take off.
One went into Browse, two are still living at the entrance to Zion Park( I
have no ides where these are) and the rest were scattered in the area none
but these three are still alive. In the 1990's the Forest Service put
several new saplings into the area of Browse and the fire in 2005 took them
all out. The tree is 143 feet tall and the top 43 feet is dead, the tree
has grown branches up and around the dead so it looks full. There have been
approximately 7 coring' of the tree in the past few years and they all give
the date of the tree to around the 1930's our files indicate a date of 1935
for the planting but do not state how old the sapling was when planted. But
it indicated it was a sapling so it couldn't have been very old. Hope this
answers your question. Thanks for the interest in the tree it is really
cool isn't it?

Marian Jacklin

Heritage Program Manager
Dixie National Forest
1789 North Wedgewood
Cedar City Utah 84720
(435) 865-3746 fax:3791
mjacklin@fs.fed.us
:2thumbs: :2thumbs: on getting the info

[Don]

Anyone create a virtual geocache to this tree yet? I looked but did not see one...

[utahfan]

Hi

I think this is not the onliest sequoia gigantea in souther Utah; I know two or three south of the border of the Bryce Canyon on the ground of friends of us there near Cannonville;

all the best
Utahfan

[Scott P]

(native) conifers in zion are primarily


I believe that have Engelman Spruce on the higher elevation plateaus as well.

[stefan]

I believe that have Engelman Spruce on the higher elevation plateaus as well.

i would be interested to find out if this is true. i wasn't sure if zion was high enough.

i do know that zion also has (native) singleleaf pinyon as well

[trackrunner]

Hi

I think this is not the onliest sequoia gigantea in souther Utah; I know two or three south of the border of the Bryce Canyon on the ground of friends of us there near Cannonville;

all the best
Utahfan

According to thane that's northern utah. southern utah starts at a latitude below the black ridge.

[Scott P]

i would be interested to find out if this is true. i wasn't sure if zion was high enough.


There are Engelmann Spruce on the road to Smith Cabin, though it's possible that they are just outside the park boundary. There are also Engelmann Spruce in the hills north of Kolob Reservoir, though those are outside the park boundary. There are Engelmann Spruce on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which about the same elevation as the highest parts of Zion. Engelmanns are also present in Bryce Canyon and even the highpoint in Bryce is less than 400 feet higher than the highest parts of Zion and the highest elevations in Zion are probably wetter as well. Shaded areas above 8000 feet should be just high enough, but some could possibly even survive lower in shaded canyons.

[stefan]

There are Engelmann Spruce on the road to Smith Cabin, though it's possible that they are just outside the park boundary. There are also Engelmann Spruce in the hills north of Kolob Reservoir, though those are outside the park boundary. There are Engelmann Spruce on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, which about the same elevation as the highest parts of Zion.

my original list were typical conifers within the boundaries of the park and most of the park is below 7200', however, you certainly are right that there could very well be some in the various high plateaus in the kolob canyon section of the park (possibly other high elevation conifers). i'll have to check this out sometime.


even the highpoint in Bryce is less than 400 feet lower than the highest parts of Zion and the highest elevations in Zion are probably wetter as well. Shaded areas above 8000 feet should be just high enough, but some could possibly even survive lower in shaded canyons.
did you mean 400' higher or are you extending beyond the boundary of the park?

[Scott P]

did you mean 400' higher or are you extending beyond the boundary of the park?


I meant higher. Typo. Oops.



my original list were typical conifers within the boundaries of the park and most of the park is below 7200', however, you certainly are right that there could very well be some in the various high plateaus in the kolob canyon section of the park (possibly other high elevation conifers).


Yes; I thought you might be interested.

================================================== ================================================== ====

Anyway, here's a good one for those interested. Where is there a small forest or at least a grove of Douglas Firs in the Robbers Roost Region? Kelsey mentions that there's a few Douglas Firs in the Middle Fork of Robbers Roost Canyon, but it's only a few trees and not enough to be a forest or grove. There is at least one more location in the Robbers Roost area with a forest/grove of Douglas Firs.

[ststephen]

Wow, quite surprising to see a Sequoia Gigantus in Utah. Pretty sure you don't have any S. Semperivens though (Coast Redwood or California Redwood). They like it wet and temperate and grow in my yard. I think Bo's answer of Redwood was actually just as acceptable as "Sequoia" as one of the common names for the Sequoia Giganteum is Sierra Redwood and the family of the two is equally Sequoias or Redwoods.

While the Giant is bigger in volume the Coast is taller and IMO more graceful in proportions.

[Win]

There is another sequoia in front of Frontier Plunder in Springdale, that's the shop next to Bit & Spur.

Win

The one in Browse last year:

http://www.fototime.com/38D2DA7E89CD730/orig.jpg

[stefan]

Wow, quite surprising to see a Sequoia Gigantus in Utah.

there are a few planted in the salt lake valley, some are on the university of utah campus. also, reno has them planted all over the place along the streets as well as in folks' yards.



While the Giant is bigger in volume the Coast is taller and IMO more graceful in proportions.the coast redwood is one of the most beautiful trees, imo

[bobb169]

There are two here in Ogden. Both are about 60 -70 ft tall.