Recently, I had the good fortune to make a visit to the Black River and Three Sisters Swamp in NC with a few bonsai friends. The oldest known Bald Cypress trees have been cored and dated in this location... BLK227 was dated at 2624 years old. This area was extensively logged during the 1800s and only a few hollow BC were not selected and remained as old growth trees. I'm not a religious person but the Three Sisters Swamp is a natural Cathedral for tree lovers. If you are interested in making this 12 mile paddle I would highly recommend Captain Charles Robbins as a guide. The paddle is a long one at 12 miles but worth every stroke. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the trip.
Randy Bennett, Arthur Joura and Charles Robbins preparing for departure. As you can see the river was low and most of the leaves have already fallen from the trees.
The river banks were loaded with second growth Bald Cypress and tons of huge knees...
When it comes to BC size is not always directly correlated with age. The water in the swamp has a pH in the range of 4 or lower and water is very nutrient poor. There are vastly bigger BC in other areas of the country but Dendrologists tell us their ages are far less than they trees in the harsh environment. Even the second growth trees are dominated by patches of deadwood and hollow areas. Many of the trees have significants twists in the trunks.
Even the oldest trees were loaded with seed pods this year!
Due to the low water were able to get out of the canoes and do a little walking/wading around in the swamp.
The bark on these ancient trees is like nothing you will ever see on younger trees.
Even the hollows were filled with knees.
Randy Bennett, Arthur Joura and Charles Robbins preparing for departure. As you can see the river was low and most of the leaves have already fallen from the trees.
The river banks were loaded with second growth Bald Cypress and tons of huge knees...
When it comes to BC size is not always directly correlated with age. The water in the swamp has a pH in the range of 4 or lower and water is very nutrient poor. There are vastly bigger BC in other areas of the country but Dendrologists tell us their ages are far less than they trees in the harsh environment. Even the second growth trees are dominated by patches of deadwood and hollow areas. Many of the trees have significants twists in the trunks.
Even the oldest trees were loaded with seed pods this year!
Due to the low water were able to get out of the canoes and do a little walking/wading around in the swamp.
The bark on these ancient trees is like nothing you will ever see on younger trees.
Even the hollows were filled with knees.
