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The Webster Sycamore (alternatively known as the Webster Springs Sycamore and the Big Sycamore Tree) was an American sycamore (''Platanus occidentalis'') in the U.S. state of West Virginia. Long recognized for its size, the Webster Sycamore was the largest living American sycamore tree in West Virginia until its felling in 2010. The tree stood approximately east of Webster Springs in Webster County, in a moist flood plain along the banks of the Back Fork Elk River, a tributary stream of the Elk River. The Webster Sycamore reached a tree height measurement of , a tree crown measurement of , and a circumference of at breast height. In 1955, the American Forests Association declared the tree the largest of its species in the United States. It only held the title for three weeks, before the association identified a larger American sycamore in Maryland. Despite losing its national title, the sycamore remained the largest American sycamore in West Virginia. Following a 1963 survey of large trees in West Virginia, the Webster Sycamore was named the second-largest tree after a white oak (''Quercus alba'') in Randolph County. The land upon which the Webster Sycamore was located was owned by the Purdee and Curtin Lumber Company, which spared the tree during its lumber operations in the area during the 1950s. West Virginia University biologist W. H. Gillespie averred that the tree stood as "a memorial of the original virgin forest". The Purdee and Curtin Lumber Company preserved the land surrounding the tree as a park, known as Big Sycamore Park. During the annual events Webster Wildwater Weekend in April and the Webster County Nature Weekend in May, hiking excursions were led to the Webster Sycamore. On September 3, 2007, a malicious fire was set in the base of the Webster Sycamore's trunk. The tree survived the blaze, but suffered irreparable damage. The West Virginia Division of Forestry performed a safety and risk assessment of the tree, and determined that structural mitigation was not feasible, and that the Webster Sycamore was to be "considered an extreme hazard". In January 2008, a 17-year-old suspect from Bergoo was formally charged with a felony count of arson for setting fire to the tree. Following the fire, experts recommended that the Webster Sycamore be felled or fenced off as a safety measure. According to the Division of Forestry, the tree was finally brought down during the summer of 2010. At the time of its death, the tree was estimated to be over 500 years old. == Geography and setting == Prior to the arrival of European American settlers and explorers, the Allegheny Mountain Range of the Appalachian Mountains was overlaid with old-growth forests consisting predominantly of deciduous hardwood trees, which were characterized by individual trees of enormous size and girth. The American sycamore (''Platanus occidentalis'') was one of the species of trees that proliferated throughout these old-growth forests.〔 American sycamores can grow at least in height and the species is distributed throughout the Eastern United States. It usually thrives in moist soils along streams, especially in sandy loam soils.〔〔 American sycamores are a dominant species in bottomland and riparian forests. The species is present throughout every county in West Virginia, and is most abundant along the state's streams.〔〔 Formerly West Virginia's largest American sycamore, the Webster Sycamore (alternatively known as the Webster Springs Sycamore and the Big Sycamore Tree) was located in a moist flood plain along the banks of the Back Fork Elk River, a tributary stream of the Elk River, in Webster County. The tree was located approximately east of Webster Springs. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Webster Sycamore」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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