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Ancient Trees of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC (2025)

01/20/2025

Living for 5,000 years, comprehending the age of these ancient Bristlecone pine trees is an impossible task. How does one grasp such an immense timespan? A seemingly infinite life to a human. These trees grow in an extreme climate of low nutrients and harsh temperatures, resulting in incredibly slow growth. People struggle to fathom how trees so small, smaller even than the 100 year old apple tree in your backyard, can be 5,000 years old. The reality is that at 10,000 feet, where these trees thrive, the environment is almost barren, resembling a rocky, desolate planet. The ground is pure dolomite rock, and the trees’ sandblasted wood is as hard as stone. Their trunks feel almost like smooth concrete. The dolomite they grow from is critical to their survival, as it is a highly alkaline rock, and the trees have adapted to extract the sparse nutrients they need from it. The trees have hints of citrus in their scent, and on the ground grows a plant that, on this day, I swear had the most amazing smell I’ve ever encountered. Never have I smelled something so wonderful. The tree pictured here is often touted as the world’s oldest, but it is actually a dead Bristlecone pine, having passed away many moons ago. Due to its remarkable form and sheer beauty, many can’t help but think it must be the oldest, but in fact, a much smaller Bristlecone pine is older. This dead ancient stands at the edge of the forest, beyond which lies a moon-like surface, almost void of any plant life. Far in the distance, across the vast valley, the towering Sierra Nevada mountains loom, home to the largest trees on earth only 150 miles from the oldest found here.

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Hey I am Colin! A conservationist, ancient tree tour guide, film photographer, tree seeker and member of the BC Big Tree Registry.

If you would like to see ancient trees first hand, join me on an Ancient Trees of Vancouver Walking Tour to visit rare Pacific Northwest giants and raise awareness for their protection. I do the tours myself so say hi!

Consider supporting big tree conservation groups like the Ancient Forest Alliance, Wilderness Committee, Conservation North, Sierra Club, and the Bob Brown Foundation.

01/19/2025

The oldest tree on Earth. Being 4,856 years old, this ancient pine predates the Great Pyramid of Giza. While the Great Pyramid was constructed around 4,500 years ago (c. 2600 BC) as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu, this pine was already thriving in the White Mountains of California for about 356 years by then. Stonehenge’s famous circle of large sarsen stones was placed between 2600 BC and 2400 BC. While humans were arranging these monumental stones in alignment with the cosmos, this bristlecone pine was already well into its life, growing 10,000 feet up in the White Mountains of California.

01/17/2025

The Big Tree ( Sequoia gigantea ) is Nature’s forest masterpiece, and, so far as I know, the greatest of living things. It belongs to an ancient stock, as its remains in old rocks show, and has a strange air of other days about it, a thoroughbred look inherited from the long ago-the auld lang syne of trees. Once the genus was common, and with many species flourished in the now desolate Arctic regions, in the interior of North America, and in Europe, but in long, eventful wanderings from climate to climate only two species have survived the hardships they had to encounter, the gigantea and sempervirens, the former now restricted to the western slopes of the Sierra, the other to the Coast Mountains, and both to California, excepting a few groves of Redwood which extend into Oregon. The Pacific Coast in general is the paradise of conifers. Here nearly all of them are giants, and display a beauty and magnificence unknown elsewhere. The climate is mild, the ground never freezes, and moisture and sunshine abound all the year. Nevertheless it is not easy to account for the colossal size of the Sequoias. The largest are about three hundred feet high and thirty feet in diameter. Who of all the dwellers of the plains and prairies and fertile home forests of round-headed oak and maple, hickory and elm, ever dreamed that earth could bear such growths,—trees that the familiar pines and firs seem to know nothing about, lonely, silent, serene, with a physiognomy almost godlike; and so old, thousands of them still living had already counted their years by tens of centuries when Columbus set sail from Spain and were in the vigor of youth or middle age when the star led the Chaldean sages to the infant Saviour’s cradle! As far as man is concerned they are the same yesterday, to-day, and forever, emblems of permanence.

- John Muir

01/15/2025

The largest tree on Earth. Growing high above the steep, dry slopes of the lower Sierra Nevada, the Giant Forest sits like an oasis in the sky. Here in the Giant Forest stands the world’s largest tree, rising impossibly high and wide in a forest closer to the clouds than the earth below. Estimated to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old, this tree stands 83.8 meters (274.9 feet) tall with a diameter of 8.2 meters (27 feet).

Giant Sequoias once thrived across the Northern Hemisphere but are now confined to 73 groves in California’s Sierra Nevada due to cooling climates and Ice Age glaciation. These trees essentially became trapped 2,133 meters (7,000 feet) up a mountain range where the rare combination of cool, moist summers and mild winters keeps them alive. Fossil evidence of these trees exists in places as far apart as Asia, Europe, and North America.

Recent wildfires, fueled by drought and climate change, have devastated these ancient trees, with fires between 2020 and 2021 alone killing nearly 20% of the world’s giant sequoias. Although these trees depend on fire for reproduction, increasingly severe blazes are overwhelming their natural defenses. Their survival now depends on urgent conservation efforts to protect this iconic species from further decline.

In the photo, you can see me at the base of this tree. A stuffed animal and children’s toys had been left on the tree. Since no one was around, I climbed over the fence to the tree and removed them from the base. Please respect the fencing and don’t go up to the tree. My girlfriend captured this rare moment of the world’s largest tree with a person beside right it.

While the sentiment behind leaving mementos is kind, please do not ever leave anything at the base of ancient trees. I often find crystals, jewelry, toys, stuffed animals, rocks, Tibetan flags, and photos left around the base of ancient trees. I run Ancient Trees of Vancouver Walking Tours and it’s almost a daily occurrence having to remove mementos from Vancouver’s ancient trees. These giant beings only need soil, tree detritus, and native species around them. Let’s honor these giants by leaving them as we find them.

01/14/2025

The 2nd largest tree on Earth, before it lost its crown. This giant sequoia, growing high in the Sierra Nevada, endured thousands of years of growth until, finally, it’s top collapsed under the relentless force of Mother Nature. In September 2003, a lightning strike ignited a fire that burned through its crown, causing significant damage and reducing its height from 77 meters (253.7 feet) to 70 meters (229 feet). In January 2005, weakened by the damage, it succumbed to a heavy snow load, and a collapse followed, resulting in the loss of more than half its height, most of its branches, and the upper hollow portion of its trunk. Now, it stands at 35 meters (115 feet), with only a few surviving branches near the top. Since 2007, signs of regrowth have appeared on one side, and as of 2024, when I had the privilege of viewing it, it is remarkably bushy on that side, with much new growth. I hope this giant can persevere in a time when so much seems lost all too frequently and far too soon.

01/08/2025

The 3rd largest tree on Earth and the oldest-known living sequoia at 3,240 years of age. This magnificent giant is one of the oldest living beings on the planet beginning its life as a sapling in 1215 BCE, just two years after the death of Pharaoh Ramesses II in 1213 BCE. The scale of this tree is almost beyond comprehension, standing 75 meters (246 feet) tall and measuring 8.2 meters (27 feet) wide. Its thickest branch is astonishing, with a diameter of 2.4 meters (8 feet)—larger than the entire trunk of many old-growth trees in Canada!

12/21/2024

The 4th largest tree on Earth. Out of all the giants we encountered during our 11-day journey from Vancouver to California, this one held us in its presence the longest. On a trip filled with the world’s largest and oldest trees, this ancient titan exerted a gravitational pull we couldn’t escape.

Its massive base, shaped over millennia by fire, has natural tunnels and hollows—a monument built by time, water, light, air, earth, and flame. As we stood beneath its colossal canopy, something extraordinary happened.

The day began under a blanket of gray, but while we lingered in the tree’s presence, a dense, otherworldly mist rolled in. Within minutes, the towering 80-meter giant dissolved into the haze, vanishing like a magician’s illusion. Then, the fog turned to light rain, which soon transformed into soft hail. What had been a dry forest floor moments before became a glistening, saturated world. By the end of the day, the hail began to melt, creating a web of tiny streams trickling into the thirsty earth around the mighty sequoia.

Even after exploring the rest of the Giant Forest, the pull of this tree drew us back for another visit. This time, the sound of a raven echoed above. We couldn’t pinpoint its source at first, then realized it was coming from a hollow cavity high up in another massive sequoia nearby. Truly a magical place. I hope to see this tree again.

12/14/2024

The 8th largest tree on Earth. Visiting the world’s largest trees high in the Sierra Nevada mountains felt like stepping into the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. Just days before, I had driven from Vancouver to see the massive redwoods, their sheer size leaving me overwhelmed. I thought those ancient giants had prepared me for what lay ahead among the even larger sequoias. I was wrong.

The day began in the strangest way. We woke in our motel room to find a $20 bill caught in a thick spider web on the ceiling. Pulling it loose, we stepped outside into the dry morning air, only to see a tarantula crushed on the roadside. As a BC native, I never imagined I’d encounter a tarantula here erroneously, and it left an unsettling first impression. But there was no time to dwell on it—we had trees to see.

Driving to the largest tree on Earth is its own surreal journey. The road winds endlessly upward, twisting through a landscape steep and barren. The heat radiated off the desert-like earth, a dry, rocky place of oak, snakes, and spiders—a setting straight out of a ‘50s spaghetti western. My girlfriend Eve, overwhelmed by the dizzying heights and lack of guardrail, had to look away from the road.

Then, suddenly, a ridge appeared, its silhouette punctuated by green spires stretching skyward. At first, they seemed almost cartoonishly large, but their immense scale was difficult to grasp from afar. Then, in an instant, everything changed. The dry, sunburnt terrain of oaks, pine, and scrub gave way to a lush, otherworldly world. Streams meandered through carpets of sweet grasses. The air grew cool and misty. And towering above it all were the sequoias, impossibly massive, their deep red trunks glowing in the dappled light.

I felt like a child, stepping onto an alien planet for the first time. While the redwoods had reminded me of enormous versions of the cedar and fir forests of my Pacific Northwest home-familiar yet grand in their scale—the sequoias were entirely otherworldly. Where the redwoods were a towering cathedral, the sequoias were a dreamscape from a distant star.

I am still trying to find the right words to write about these trees.

12/14/2024

The 8th largest tree on Earth. Visiting the world’s largest trees high in the Sierra Nevada mountains felt like stepping into the most vivid dream I’ve ever had. Just days before, I had driven from Vancouver to see the massive redwoods, their sheer size leaving me overwhelmed. I thought those ancient giants had prepared me for what lay ahead among the even larger sequoias. I was wrong.

The day began in the strangest way. We woke in our motel room to find a $20 bill caught in a thick spider web on the ceiling. Pulling it loose, we stepped outside into the dry morning air, only to see a tarantula crushed on the roadside. As a BC native, I never imagined I’d encounter a tarantula here erroneously, and it left an unsettling first impression. But there was no time to dwell on it—we had trees to see.

Driving to the largest tree on Earth is its own surreal journey. The road winds endlessly upward, twisting through a landscape steep and barren. The heat radiated off the desert-like earth, a dry, rocky place of oak, snakes, and spiders—a setting straight out of a ‘50s spaghetti western. My girlfriend Eve, overwhelmed by the dizzying heights and lack of guardrail, had to look away from the road.

Then, suddenly, a ridge appeared, its silhouette punctuated by green spires stretching skyward. At first, they seemed almost cartoonishly large, but their immense scale was difficult to grasp from afar. Then, in an instant, everything changed. The dry, sunburnt terrain of oaks, pine, and scrub gave way to a lush, otherworldly world. Streams meandered through carpets of sweet grasses. The air grew cool and misty. And towering above it all were the sequoias, impossibly massive, their deep red trunks glowing in the dappled light.

I felt like a child, stepping onto an alien planet for the first time. While the redwoods had reminded me of enormous versions of the cedar and fir forests of my Pacific Northwest home-familiar yet grand in their scale—the sequoias were entirely otherworldly. Where the redwoods were a towering cathedral, the sequoias were a dreamscape from a distant star.

I am still trying to find the right words to write about these trees.

12/11/2024

I just saw the first 100 meter (328 foot) tall tree I’ve ever encountered. This is the fourth largest coastal redwood on Earth, and it was an experience that felt impossible to capture in words. For years, I had read about the now lost 100+ meter (328+ foot) tall Douglas firs from my hometown, Vancouver, and wondered what it would feel like to stand before such an immense presence. Finally, I took my dream trip to see the largest redwoods, the largest sequoias, and the world’s oldest trees, the bristlecone pines.

I drove non-stop from Vancouver to Crescent City, California, in a single day. After a brief rest in a cheap run down motel, I made my way to the park where the redwoods grow. These giants thrive in northern California because of the coastal fog, mild temperatures, 40 to 100 inches of rainfall, and rich soils.

The drive from Crescent City to the park was only 20 minutes, but as I passed through farmers’ fields and concrete, I couldn’t help but imagine the trees that once stood where land is now altered. And then, out of nowhere, an endless expanse of green rose up before me, like a door opening to another world.

Driving through the forest I couldn’t believe my eyes, thousands of trees bigger than the biggest I’d ever seen everywhere. And then there it was—the first 100 meter (328 foot) tree of my life. Standing on the roadside, its scale was beyond comprehension. Its trunk, more than 6 meters (19.7 feet) wide, was thicker than any tree I had ever seen, and it remained 1.8 meters (6 feet) thick even 91 meters (300 feet) up. My perspective on trees and scale has been forever altered.

12/03/2024

Some claim this is the fourth-largest tree on Earth, but to me, it raises an interesting question: what truly defines a tree? When I saw what is often called by some the world’s largest redwood and the fourth-largest tree of all trees, it was obvious to me instantly that it’s not just one massive tree. What appeared to some experts and enthusiasts to be a single tree is, in my opinion, actually two, and maybe even three, merging trees. These trees grow so close together that their canopies intertwine or merge, which is common for coastal redwoods. Sometimes, these giants sprout from the same root system, while at other times, they’re completely separate trees. While some may disagree with my perspective, to me, it’s clear that this is not one tree. It challenges the very idea of what we consider a “tree”—is it the trunk, the roots, or the entire interconnected system? In my view, what’s often called the fourth-largest tree is, by most people’s definition of what constitutes a tree, actually a group of trees coming together. Nonetheless, visiting this tree was one of the most profound experiences of my life, and the grove around it is one of the greatest on Earth.

11/18/2024

The world’s largest coastal redwood and the 13th largest tree on Earth, this colossal giant is estimated to be between 3,000 and 4,000 years old, with some estimates suggesting it could be even older. Standing 94.24 meters (309.2 feet) tall and measuring 8.34 meters (27.37 feet) in diameter, its immense size is almost impossible to grasp. When looking up, the tree seems to stretch infinitely toward the sky, with the top entirely out of view. But this tree is not alone—other awe-inspiring redwoods surround it, also stretching toward the heavens, their towering forms rising from the fern-covered forest floor. Unlike many massive redwoods, which are made up of multiple fused trees, this remarkable giant stands as a single, towering organism—an extremely rare and awe-inspiring spectacle of nature.

10/17/2024

This is the world’s largest spruce... or is it? This is the Quinault Lake Spruce, located in Olympic National Park, often claimed to be the biggest Sitka spruce. It stands 191 feet (58.2 meters) tall, with a 17.7-foot (5.4-meter) diameter and a volume of 10,540 cubic feet (298.6 cubic meters). Its wide, buttressed base helps it earn 882 points in the American Forests system.

However, the Queets Spruce, also in Olympic National Park, challenges this title. At 248 feet (75.6 meters) tall, with a volume of 11,920 cubic feet (337.4 cubic meters) and a 14.9-foot (4.5-meter) diameter, it scores 832 points but is actually taller and more massive. Unlike the Quinault Spruce, the Queets lacks the large root flaring, which inflates circumference readings, giving the Quinault tree its advantage in points.

While the Quinault Lake Spruce is impressive, the Queets Spruce is the true giant in terms of height and volume—reminding us that the title of “largest” depends on how you measure.

09/13/2024

Ancient firs of Rathtrevor Provincial Park with the northern lights

09/12/2024

Northern lights from Rathtrevor Provinciak Park. This park is an extremely rare old growth Douglas fir ecosystem on the east coast of Vancouver island

09/12/2024

This fir floats above the sands of Rathtrevor Provincial Park, where ancient trees slowly fall into the sea. Early this morning, on September 12, the northern lights blazed across the sky, casting their glow over the forest and ocean. This tree stands perched on its roots, illuminated beneath by the vivid colors of the aurora borealis.

09/02/2024

The world’s fourth-largest cedar tree, known as the Willaby Cedar, went missing after 2008 when major windstorms devastated the surrounding forest near Quinault Lake. In the years that followed, what began as a forest of young saplings flourished into an incredibly dense, nearly impenetrable hillside of millions of young hemlock trees, each around 20 feet tall, thanks to 16 years of uninterrupted sunlight.

For decades, the Willaby Cedar was a well-known landmark on the slopes above Quinault Lake. However, after the storms, attempts to locate the tree proved difficult due to the tangled mess of fallen logs and closely packed young trees. Some even feared the cedar might have blown over during the storms, given its now-exposed position.

Guided by a promising satellite image, we decided to brave the thick hemlock forest. After enduring numerous scrapes and pushing through the dense underbrush, we finally reached the tree. Photographing it proved nearly impossible—Eve had to climb a significant height up the cedar, while I balanced on an old fallen log, just to get above the young trees that had completely engulfed it. This is what zero-visibility rainforest looks like.

In my lifetime, I hope to see the forest around this immense cedar mature, gradually returning to the more open, inviting appearance it had before 2008, as shown in the second photo taken before the storms.

Ancient Trees of Vancouver

01/20/2025

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01/17/2025

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01/08/2025

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