February 4, 2000
Ettersburg, CA - A legendary peacemaker, the "Council Madroña," the world's largest Coast madrone tree, was brought to the ground by the forces of nature. An unusual weather phenomenon created extreme winds that split the trunk of the aged tree. The venerable tree's health had been in decline since the 1980's.
The Council Madroña was a fragile object of scientific and historical significance. Discovered in 1902 by botanist Willis Linn Jepson, the Council Madroña was estimated at 500 years old. In the mid-1980s the American Forestry Association listed it in the National Register of Big Trees. At a height of 96 feet and spreading 113 feet across, it was the largest specimen of Coastal madrone found anywhere in the world.
This majestic specimen and its surrounding pasturelands were acquired by Save-the-Redwoods League on March 20, 1975. The tree was gifted to the California Department of Parks and Recreation who vowed to protect it in perpetuity. Ranger John Jennings of California State Parks remarked, "we will continue to protect the site and allow the stately giant to lie in state and gradually decay back into the soil. This will complete the circle of life for the tree and provide a nursery for other forms of life and the expected root sprouts of the mother tree."
Coast madrones have striking features; young bark is deep red and very smooth and exfoliates in layers. As the tree ages the bark becomes dark brown in color and no longer exfoliates. Their broad, sprawling limbs beckon both children and adults. According to Jepson, "under [the Council Madroña's] spreading limbs the coast tribes met the interior tribes in former days for the discussion of intertribal matters and for the conclusion of treaties." Having survived through times of war and peace, it commanded attention and offered a peaceful serenity to those who rested under its canopy.
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