Big Tree (Washington tree) facts for kids
The Big Tree, also called the Trout Lake Big Tree, was a huge Ponderosa pine tree. It grew in a very old forest of pine and fir trees. This forest is located in southern Washington state. It was near the bottom of Mount Adams.
This special area is looked after by the Mount Adams Ranger District. This district is part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. The Big Tree was about 202 feet (61.6 meters) tall. Its trunk was about 7 feet (2.1 meters) wide. It was one of the biggest Ponderosa pines ever found. Sadly, tiny insects called mountain pine beetles attacked the tree. It died in 2015, and its death was confirmed in 2016.
Visiting the Big Tree Site
The Big Tree Interpretive Site is easy to reach. You can get there from the small town of Trout Lake. Just follow Forest Road 80 and then Road 8020. At the site, you could see the giant tree up close. It was also a nice place to have a picnic.
How Old Was the Big Tree?
No one knows exactly how old the Big Tree was. This is because its center was rotten. This made it hard to count its growth rings.
