Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree

Knotahippie · 13th June 2009, 12:09 AM

Some poeple stuff fish and prop em' up on the wall...

treevet · 13th June 2009, 12:23 AM

That is true, but I think the main issue is the cost and diverted use of the funds that would have move value in other arb practices.

Knotahippie · 13th June 2009, 02:16 AM

Being able to appreciate the past is pretty cool.

treevet · 13th June 2009, 12:34 PM

Don't see a big ole stump in that light, but to each his own.

Knotahippie · 13th June 2009, 04:22 PM

I see what yer' gettin' at.

But it isn't every day when you can look at a chunk of wood that's over 1000 yrs. old.

Or anything that old (in this country).

treevet · 14th June 2009, 12:18 AM

We have a slab disc of wood in our city museum that was part of an over thousand year old tree. It has pins in the growth increments where significant events happened over history and they are described by the pins. Real neat IMO.

I guess what my gripe is like I said way earlier is not saving the wood but rather the cost to keep it erect. Also it would be more impressive if growth increments were marked. Another type of tree that size may only be a few hundred years old. Ya gotta take their word on the age and it is approximated.

You spend all that money to stand it up and keep it up and what does it show? A big stump that cost a lot of money, which everyone knows, that would have fell over otherwise if nature took it's course. Doesn't show anything natural but rather human intervention and waste of $.

pcarborist · 14th June 2009, 09:32 AM

I tend to agree with you Treevet. They could use that $150K or whatever it costs to purchase old-growth forest from the private sector and preserve it as open space. Knot, isn't most of the old-growth redwood in CA owned by the private sector?

Knotahippie · 14th June 2009, 01:36 PM

Uh, you mean the 3% (and less every day) left?

Eric Frei · 28th June 2009, 07:11 PM

Just keeping it up to date.

Contractors step up to save ancient Vancouver tree – Daily Commercial News

Quote:

Industry effort saving ancient Vancouver tree

British Columbia contractors have pitched in to help preserve a Vancouver landmark, the Stanley Park Hollow Tree, estimated to be 700 to 1,000 years old.

The often-photographed tree has been dead for the past 200 years, but it still towers 44 feet in the air.

It was hollowed out by a lightning strike and first photographed in the 1880s.

A December 2006 winter storm further damaged it, causing an 11-degree angle list. The tilt prompted the Vancouver Parks Board to have the tree felled until the Stanley Park Hollow Tree Conservation Society (SPH-TCS) successfully rallied contractors and donations for a fix.

The first phase of a $150,000 to $200,000 restoration begin recently as project crews rolled onto the Third Beach site with lift truck, backhoe and a 60-ton crane aimed at propping up the stump upright again.

“With a bit of luck, we should be able to take the tree back near to plumb,” said Gordon Macdonald, partner in Macdonald & Lawrence Timber Framing (M&L) of Cobble Hill, B.C.

The company led a stabilization plan in early 2008, which was aimed at preventing the tree from toppling over until the SPH-TCS could raise restoration funds.

The work involved installing two temporary support timbers and two temporary guy wires to stabilize it.

A major concern during the recent righting was that the hollow cylindrical stem would collapse during the lift.

The M&L crew spent the morning of June 11 placing straps around the tree with the aid of a lift truck and also providing timber braces inside the tree in preparation for the afternoon lift by the Link-Belt HTC-1060 with a 75-foot boom.

Les Abraham, with Consolidated Mobile Crane Inc., said the lift had to be done extremely carefully.

“It’s a hollow tree and you have to be careful what you do or you end up with a lot of kindling,” he said.

Crane operator Brent Aumann successfully lifted the 20,000 pound stump.

Lorne Whitehead, with the preservation society, said the rescue was prompted after careful analysis of the tree’s roots found only two key areas where roots still extended into the ground.

“We are using them to our advantage to support the tree,” he said.

As the tree hollow was lifted up, two timber supports — attached by plates to the tree in 2008 — were again used to keep the tree in the new position.

As well, additional timber was used to keep the tree in its new position.

The upright position will allow the second phase of work to begin soon.

It involves building a permanent, but hidden foundation support for the tree.

A trench will be dug around the tree and micro-piles, one-inch steel rods, will be driven into the ground.

They will extend into a collar of cement that will ring the roots of the tree at below grade level.

Micro-piles will also be driven from the concrete foundation into the wooden base of the stump to stabilize it.

Rodney Hicks, sales manager for Ocean Concrete, met with several SPH-TCS members, and agreed to donate the concrete. He expects it will take a load or two of concrete to pour the foundation using regular structural grade.

Bayline Construction Ltd. will form and place the concrete.

Troy Beaupre, with the company, said he was originally consulted about the feasibility of anchoring the tree with a cement collar, while visiting the site with several others involved in saving the tree stump.

An engineering firm, Cascade Engineering Group out of Canmore, Alberta, is providing drawings and Beaupre volunteered his company.

The micro-piles are being supplied by Conn-Tech Systems, while Belpacific Excavating and Shoring will plant the micro-piles.

The Canadian Press: Defenders preserve Stanley Park's famous 1,000-year-old Hollow Tree

Hollow tree is finally getting its makeover - The Globe and Mail

Sean Freeman · 28th June 2009, 08:14 PM

Good pics

treevet · 29th June 2009, 03:30 AM

It has morphed into a money pit filled with cash for all parties to drink from.

Maybe even an exhibition for show-off engineers that think they know more than the next guy.

Save The Stump, Save The Stump!

(not)

Eric Frei · 6th February 2010, 08:16 AM

YouTube - THE HOLLOW TREE - official trailer

Sean Freeman · 6th February 2010, 02:24 PM

Really nice vid to watch...

How the final construction looks:

Pretty impressive bit of minimalist engineering, a very impressive bit of work.

Eric Frei · 6th February 2010, 06:32 PM

It was on one heck of a lean prior

esky79 · 18th February 2010, 08:12 PM

Yeah
Lived in Vancouver for a while and they have their own "special" way of doing thinks. I think the image of a pit bull comes to mind. Once they latch on to something good luck getting them to drop it.

Mind you it would have been a pity to lose it. It is very impressive when you stand next to it.
There are bigger stumps but you have to travel a bit. There where some fallen trees on Vancouver island that where bigger in diameter that that stumps was high.

Eric Frei · 3rd May 2010, 06:14 PM

Just had a friend vist and send through some pictures.

All bracing is internal and not that notice-able.

sueann · 4th May 2010, 09:46 AM

What happened to the tree in the first pic? the one that looked as though it was holding the dead one up? the healthy one. Did they chop it down? or did they move the dead one somewhere else.

Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree-stanleyparkshollow.jpg

funarty · 5th May 2010, 10:14 AM

Bloody hell!! some one was ripped off It's not even that big! What's wrong with lying it down!!!

Eric Frei · 28th October 2011, 12:04 AM

Stanley Park's restored Hollow Tree gets official unveiling | The Vancouver Observer - Page 1

Quote:

Stanley Park's restored Hollow Tree gets official unveiling

Oct 26th, 2011

The famous ancient Western Red Cedar that looms over Stanley Park finally received its official commemoration Wednesday, in a ceremony co-hosted by the Vancouver Park Board and the Stanley Park Hollow Tree Conservation Society.

The tree has faced a long and arduous battle over the past three years, having been saved from imminent destruction and restored by a group of local citizens as a natural monument.

“This Hollow Tree has attracted visitors and dignitaries right from the early days,” said Parks Board chair Aaron Jasper, recounting his days as a local tour guide, when he would drive his bus to visit the iconic tree.

“It is known all around the world, and by generations of Vancouverites,” he said.

The Park Board recently completed the landscaping and installed plaques at the site to inform the public about the Hollow Tree’s history, and to acknowledge significant donors who made its restoration possible.

History of the Hollow Tree

The 1,000-year-old Hollow Tree is one of the oldest local landmarks in Vancouver. In actuality, it is not a living tree but the hollowed-out snag of an ancient cedar that has existed in Stanley Park since the very first settlers arrived on the Pacific Coast.

Since Stanley Park’s opening in 1888, the tree has been a well-known tourist attraction, mainly because of the large hollow opening that visitors could step – or drive a vehicle – inside. The tree appears in countless photographs from early Vancouver, and many consider it an important symbol as one of the few remaining fragments of the vast, ancient forests that once covered the Lower Mainland.

Critics of the restoration project have argued that it was a pointless act to spend money and time holding up an “ugly old stump”. But according to Vancouver historian and engineer Bruce Macdonald, the tree represents something much more significant.

“It’s not just a dead stump,” he said. “It actually has historic value and tourism industry value. It has important value in showing what’s unique about Vancouver, and it has important value as a symbol of the past and the history of the city.”

The survival of the Hollow Tree has been threatened on multiple occasions – first, after violent storms blew through the park in the 1930s, and again in 1962 when Vancouver was ravaged by Hurricane Frieda. The Park Board was forced to remove several feet off the top because of damage, and workers eventually had to brace the inside of the tree with metal poles.

In December 2006, another big storm hit the city, tearing down a number of trees and causing a great deal of damage to the park. The giant, lifeless trunk was tipped over and leaning so precariously that it was thought to be a danger to the public.

The restoration

The Hollow Tree’s predicament sparked a heated public debate over the possible alternatives. During months of deliberation at Park Board meetings, officials and citizens spoke out about how to proceed. Should the city pay for the tree to be restored and held up with artificial supports? Or should the tree be laid to rest like any other dead tree, to decompose as part of the natural ecosystem?

Many of the arguments against propping up the stump focused on the idea of interfering with the environment. Some thought a tree with metal supports would seem odd and unnatural. In the end, it came down to the cost.

“The issue was the Park Board didn’t want to spend any money. They didn’t have any money, because this type of thing is outside of the normal budget,” said Macdonald.

Research revealed an unpalatable cost of over $200,000 to keep it standing, so the Park Board voted unanimously to cut it down. But instead of letting the matter rest, a small group of local residents came together and presented a solution.

They formed an organization called the Hollow Tree Conservation Society, which included engineers, physicists, historians, arborists and experts dealing with heavy timber. Raising funds on their own and through donations on their website, they appealed to the Park Board, came up with the money and saw the project through to its completion in 2009.

“In the fall of 2008, the elected park commissioners had the courage to reverse their decision and to give our society an opportunity to straighten the tree, stabilize it, and keep it for generations to come,” said Hal Kalman, co-director of the Hollow Tree Conservation Society.

Despite the long battle between Park Board commissioners and Hollow Tree advocates, everyone at the unveiling seemed to agree that its restoration was a positive thing for the city.

Jasper added his thanks to the Hollow Tree Conservation Society for making the project a success.

“I’m very happy to be here,” he said. “I’m looking forward to being able to bring my daughter and future generations of my family, and I know that all of you probably feel the exact same way,” he said.

Members of the Hollow Tree Conservation Society thanked a number of generous donors who supported the project, including organizations like the Heritage Vancouver Society and the Heritage Legacy Fund of BC. They also noted the contributions of several other companies and individuals who donated their time, supplies and equipment to the cause.

Eleanor Hadley: Hollow Tree advocate, Park Board candidate

Eleanor Hadley, a spirited 90-year-old woman from the West End, has demonstrated her passion for Stanley Park and city politics and attended Park Board meetings for over 40 years. As part of the informal group, "Friends of the Hollow Tree", she was a vocal advocate for its restoration throughout the public process leading up to the construction.

Now, Hadley has her sights set on public office, having recently announced that she will be running as a candidate for the Vancouver Park Board.

“I’ve spent about the last 40 or 50 years trying to save Stanley Park from developers and commercializing. And when Parks Board gave the okay to the aquarium to build four new buildings – one seven stories high – and two new whale pools in the middle of the aquarium, it was just too much for me,” she said, recalling her last-minute decision to run in the election.

Hadley is strongly opposed to additional development in the park, as well as the expansion of the aquarium and new construction in beach areas like English Bay. She said she sees this election as an opportunity – win or lose – to inform the citizens of Vancouver about the park-related issues she feels are most important.

Though she has run as an independent candidate in two previous elections, so far her involvement with the Park Board has been focused around her enthusiastic participation in public meetings.

“I started attending the Parks Board meetings out of curiosity, and I haven’t stopped all these many years,” said Hadley.

“They’ve told me that I am behind the times when I complain of the commercialization of our beaches and our parks,” she said. “If the Vancouver citizens don’t wake up and stop this, they won’t have a beach and they won’t have Stanley Park.”

13th June 2009, 12:09 AM	#91
Knotahippie Mature tree Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bay Area Ca. Posts: 355	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Some poeple stuff fish and prop em' up on the wall...

13th June 2009, 12:23 AM	#92
treevet Monument Status Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Posts: 2,119	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree That is true, but I think the main issue is the cost and diverted use of the funds that would have move value in other arb practices.

13th June 2009, 02:16 AM	#93
Knotahippie Mature tree Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bay Area Ca. Posts: 355	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Being able to appreciate the past is pretty cool.

13th June 2009, 12:34 PM	#94
treevet Monument Status Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Posts: 2,119	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Don't see a big ole stump in that light, but to each his own.

13th June 2009, 04:22 PM	#95
Knotahippie Mature tree Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bay Area Ca. Posts: 355	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree I see what yer' gettin' at. But it isn't every day when you can look at a chunk of wood that's over 1000 yrs. old. Or anything that old (in this country).

14th June 2009, 12:18 AM	#96
treevet Monument Status Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Posts: 2,119	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree We have a slab disc of wood in our city museum that was part of an over thousand year old tree. It has pins in the growth increments where significant events happened over history and they are described by the pins. Real neat IMO. I guess what my gripe is like I said way earlier is not saving the wood but rather the cost to keep it erect. Also it would be more impressive if growth increments were marked. Another type of tree that size may only be a few hundred years old. Ya gotta take their word on the age and it is approximated. You spend all that money to stand it up and keep it up and what does it show? A big stump that cost a lot of money, which everyone knows, that would have fell over otherwise if nature took it's course. Doesn't show anything natural but rather human intervention and waste of $.

14th June 2009, 09:32 AM	#97
pcarborist Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: PC Posts: 176	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree I tend to agree with you Treevet. They could use that $150K or whatever it costs to purchase old-growth forest from the private sector and preserve it as open space. Knot, isn't most of the old-growth redwood in CA owned by the private sector? __________________ parkcityarborist

14th June 2009, 01:36 PM	#98
Knotahippie Mature tree Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Bay Area Ca. Posts: 355	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Uh, you mean the 3% (and less every day) left?

28th June 2009, 08:14 PM	#100
Sean Freeman Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,981	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Good pics

29th June 2009, 03:30 AM	#101
treevet Monument Status Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Posts: 2,119	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree It has morphed into a money pit filled with cash for all parties to drink from. Maybe even an exhibition for show-off engineers that think they know more than the next guy. Save The Stump, Save The Stump! (not)

6th February 2010, 02:24 PM	#103
Sean Freeman Veteran Heritage Status Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,981	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Really nice vid to watch... How the final construction looks: Pretty impressive bit of minimalist engineering, a very impressive bit of work. Attached Thumbnails

6th February 2010, 06:32 PM	#104
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,996	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree It was on one heck of a lean prior __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

18th February 2010, 08:12 PM	#105
esky79 Sappling Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Melbourne Posts: 8	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Yeah Lived in Vancouver for a while and they have their own "special" way of doing thinks. I think the image of a pit bull comes to mind. Once they latch on to something good luck getting them to drop it. Mind you it would have been a pity to lose it. It is very impressive when you stand next to it. There are bigger stumps but you have to travel a bit. There where some fallen trees on Vancouver island that where bigger in diameter that that stumps was high.

3rd May 2010, 06:14 PM	#106
Eric Frei Admin - Owner Palm & Tree Services in Brisbane Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 12,996	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Just had a friend vist and send through some pictures. All bracing is internal and not that notice-able. Attached Thumbnails __________________ Protect your rights to work - Join Australian Tree Association My businesses:- Qualified Brisbane Palm and Tree Lopping \| Stump Grinding Brisbane \| Brisbane - Gold Coast Consulting Arborist

4th May 2010, 09:46 AM	#107
sueann Former Member Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Hunter Valley Australia Posts: 599	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree What happened to the tree in the first pic? the one that looked as though it was holding the dead one up? the healthy one. Did they chop it down? or did they move the dead one somewhere else.

5th May 2010, 10:14 AM	#108
funarty Mature tree Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: townsville Q.L.D. Australia Posts: 315	Re: Vancouver's Stanley Park Hollow Tree Bloody hell!! some one was ripped off It's not even that big! What's wrong with lying it down!!! __________________ COOL TREES=COOL PLANET

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