I recently found and measured a tall white fir in Eldorado National Forest with photographer, birder and big tree explorer, Joshua French. It’s top so high in the sky that you could still see the sunset’s golden glow on the top while neighboring trees are in the dark.
Name: Firetop
Height: 265.87ft – 81.04m
Cbh: 16.30ft – 4.96m
Location: Eldorado National ForestThis tree survived the destructive Caldor Fire. Nearby, a salvage logging operation has begun and is getting close to the new height champion. Will they cut it? Not if we can do something about it. M.W.Taylor
It has been good for tall tree news lately. This picture shows the scale and height like few do. It is hard to get a good pix like this. With all the stressors now on trees protecting superior examples like this is all the more important. Once lost and down the memory hole, sliding baselines will reduce the sense of the possible and hinder the future’s understanding of what was. There are countless examples.
This large evergreen conifer grows best in the central Sierra Nevada of California, where the record specimen was recorded as 74.9 metres (246 feet) tall and measured 4.6 m (15 ft) in diameter at breast height (dbh) in Yosemite National Park.[4] The typical size of white fir ranges from 25–60 m (82–197 ft) tall and up to 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in) dbh. The largest specimens are found in the central Sierra Nevada, where the largest diameter recorded was found in Sierra National Forest at 58.5 m × 8.5 m (192 ft × 28 ft) (1972);[4] the west slope of the Sierra Nevada is also home to the tallest specimen on record, 78.8 m (259 ft) in height.[5] Abies concolor subsp. concolor (Rocky mountain white fir) rarely exceeds 38 m (125 ft) tall or 0.9 m (3 ft) dbh. Large (but not huge) trees in good soil range from 40 to 60 m (130 to 200 ft) tall and from 99 to 165 centimetres (39 to 65 in) dbh in California and southwestern Oregon and to 41 m (135 ft) tall and 124 cm (49 in) dbh in Arizona and New Mexico.[6] The dead tree tops sometimes fork into new growth.[7]
I don’t know much about white fir. I was surprised per Wikipedia above that it is closely related to grand fir. The Wikipedia info is dated now. From the look of it, white fir is in Steve’s backyard.
White fir is a few feet shorter than grand fir. Impressive since it grows in drier habitat.
New World Record White Fir Over 265ft Found in the Caldor Fire Burn Scar!
Story update.
New World Record White Fir Over 265ft Found in the Caldor Fire Burn Scar!
Story update.
I know of 1 grand fir in the Winchuck river drainage 10 feet dbh. Very few left as not enough moisture content ambient in air dry part summers. To much clear cutting and new stands doug fir harvested less then 30 years.. I reforested a place up Pistol River Ore 1978 that had a 12 ft dbh.
Giant fir they fell and was laying in a draw and its still there12feet diameter and 85 ft before it tapered to 8.5 ft
I have seen on line references to the Winchuck still having a few big trees. Thx.
I know of 1grand fir in the winchuck river drainage 10 feet dbh. Very few left as not enough moisture content ambient in air dry part summers. To much clear cutting and new stands doug fir harvested less then 30 years.. i reforested a place up Pistol River Ore 1978 that had a 12 ft dbh
Giant fir they fell and was laying in a draw and its still there12feet diameter and 85 ft before it tapered to 8.5 ft
Hi there, we read above article regarding the magnificent white fir found. We have been told that we may one of the largest white fir in the Tahoe basin at our residence in Incline Village, NV. We measured the diameter, chest level, at 16′ 3″……..tree is on a steep terrain along with creek, runs near, all year long.
It sounds like a good one.