DescentBB

The Senator, a cypress tree estimated to be 3,500 years old, caught fire and burned this morning.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 1920.story

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Senator

I live nearby, here's a picture I took just last October.

That is sad.

Sad. Something that old. I wonder how it started? They said it wasn't arson. You'd think they'd know if there was a lightning strike that happened at the time.

There have been conflicting stories - apparently the firefighters who first arrived on the scene said there was brush/sticks piled up at the base of the tree, leading them to think it may have been arson, or possibly a homeless person who started a fire to keep warm. But, when a forestry investigator later came and made an apparently brief inspection, he ruled out arson. The latest word is that they have reversed that statement and are investigating further:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/blo ... 2169.story

Shame, looks like a cool tree. Biggest cypress I've ever seen couldn't have been more than 10-12 inches in diameter at the base, if that. Ever since my dad taught me tree identification I've been a tree buff.

Apparently it was arson after all:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 2574.story

Pathetic.

Would they please pass a law in Florida, call it the "Sarah Barnes Law", that makes it a criminal offense to be a complete dumba$$. So she could "see the drugs she was doing"? Unbelieveable.

Oh man, that is so pathetic its hilarious.

High school graduate
calls herself a model
burns down trees in state parks
does meth

If I was the DA filling out a form about her, I would list "Occupation: Skank Ho". Because really, what else could you call her?

Another update:

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/201 ... re-related

Krom wrote:Oh man, that is so pathetic its hilarious.

I find it rather depressing.

Krom wrote: Because really, what else could you call her?

Waste of resources.

Investigators said Barnes told them she started the fire because it was dark and she wanted to see the drugs she was doing.

Minecraft tactics eh

Investigators said Barnes told them she started the fire because it was dark and she wanted to see the drugs she was doing.

Seth Meyers wrote:So that's like telling law enforcement "yeah, sorry I stole the car, I've been a little off ever since I murdered my mom."

/SNL

An update: "Charred remains of The Senator will become artworks, more"

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 2378.story

i wonder how deep its tap root went

Another update:

"Clones of giant 'Senator' tree take root at 2 Seminole parks"

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/loc ... 0153.story

what kindof ★■◆● names an ancient tree TO BE PROTECTED "Senator". wtf.
Senators should all be burned

I think the land it was on was donated back in the early 1900's by a senator, that's why.

nm i got confused with congress.

Congress... congress.. congo... congress... congo... congo has trees... congress has senators in the senate... the senator is a tree. it all makes sense now.

From Wikipedia:

"The Senator was named for Florida State Senator Moses Overstreet, who donated the tree and surrounding land to Seminole County for a park in 1927. In 1929, former president Calvin Coolidge visited The Senator and dedicated the site with a commemorative bronze plaque. The plaque and portions of an iron fence were stolen by vandals in 1945 and never recovered."

I finally got around to taking some pics at the park today - what's left of The Senator, as well as one of its clones.

Silly clones... I hope they don't sign those agreements with the Dyad Institute.
I'm still waiting to see what happened to the one that did. But next season should be coming pretty soon.

News Flash…Man accidentally cuts down the 36th oldest tree today.