Pinchot Sycamore
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Pinchot Sycamore
OR:
Pinchot Sycamore on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

The Pinchot Sycamore is a large
American sycamore ''Platanus occidentalis'', also known as American sycamore, American planetree, western plane, occidental plane, buttonwood, and water beech, is a species of ''Platanus'' native to the eastern and central United States, the mountains of northeas ...
(''Platanus occidentalis'') in
Simsbury, Connecticut Simsbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 24,517 at the 2020 census. The town was incorporated as Connecticut's 21st town in May 1670. History Early history At the beginning of the 17th century, the ...
. It is the largest tree in Connecticut. When measured by the Connecticut Botanical Society in 2016, the Pinchot Sycamore's trunk was over around and tall, with an average canopy diameter of . The sycamore is estimated to be at least 200 years old, and possibly over 300 years old.Steve Grant,
In The Shade Of The Sycamore
, ''Hartford Courant'', April 13, 2000. Accessed April 30, 2008. The tree was named in honor of influential conservationist and Connecticut resident
Gifford Pinchot Gifford Pinchot (August 11, 1865October 4, 1946) was an American forester and politician. He served as the fourth chief of the U.S. Division of Forestry, as the first head of the United States Forest Service, and as the 28th governor of Pennsy ...
. It was originally dedicated to Pinchot in 1965, and re-dedicated with an engraved stone marker in 1975. The Pinchot Sycamore is located on the east bank of the
Farmington River The Farmington River is a river, U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 in length along its main stem, located in northwest Connecticut with major tributaries ex ...
, near the base of
Talcott Mountain Talcott Mountain of central Connecticut, with a high point of , is a long trap rock mountain ridge located west of the city of Hartford. The ridge, a prominent landscape feature, forms a continuous line of exposed western cliffs visible across ...
, south of the town center of Simsbury. Since the completion of the Pinchot Sycamore Lighting Project by the town in 1997, the tree is lit by floodlights at night. The Pinchot Sycamore Park surrounds the tree; the park includes a launching point onto the Farmington River for small boats. It is a popular area for
canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...
. According to the conservation group
American Forests American Forests is a 501(c)(3) non-profit conservation organization, established in 1875, and dedicated to protecting and restoring healthy forest ecosystems. The current headquarters are in Washington, D.C. Activities The mission of American ...
in 2000, the Pinchot Sycamore was scheduled to be listed in the 2001 edition of the
National Register of Big Trees The National Register of Champion Trees is a list of the largest tree specimens found in the United States as reported to American Forests by the public. A tree on this list is called a National Champion Tree. The National Register of Champion Tr ...
as one of the two largest known American sycamores in the United States, tied with a tree in
Bath County, Virginia Bath County is a United States county on the central western border of the Commonwealth of Virginia, on the West Virginia state line. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,209, the second-least populous county in Virginia. Bath's county ...
. In the 2008-2009 edition, a larger tree in
Ashland, Ohio Ashland is a city in and the county seat of Ashland County, Ohio, United States, 66 miles southwest of Cleveland and 82 miles northeast of Columbus. The population was 20,362 at the 2010 census. It is the center of the Ashland Micropolitan Stat ...
is listed as the champion American sycamore. In 2005, a guitar made from a fallen bough of the Pinchot Sycamore was auctioned off by the Farmington River Watershed Association.Farmington River Watershed Association,
Pinchot Sycamore Guitar for Auction at Nov. 3rd Annual Meeting
, ''Farmington River News'', Fall 2005. Accessed April 30, 2008. The Pinchot Sycamore sustained some damage to its canopy as a result of an early snowstorm in October 2011; however, it was not diminished in size, and its large recognizable lower limbs remain intact.


Picture gallery


See also

*
Buttonball Tree The Buttonball Tree is an exceptionally large American sycamore (''Platanus occidentalis'') located in Sunderland, Massachusetts. Though the nickname "buttonball" has been used for all like trees, this tree retained the name, mainly because of i ...
, an American Sycamore of similar size located in
Sunderland, Massachusetts Sunderland is a town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The wo ...
*
List of individual trees The following is a list of notable trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as well as ...


Notes and references


External links

* {{coord, 41.847492, -72.806512, region:US-CT_type:landmark, display=title Individual trees in Connecticut Individual plane trees Simsbury, Connecticut Natural history of Connecticut