Ancient Cypress in Atchafalaya Basin Identified

Despite the ecological damage to our coastal wetlands, our coastal Louisiana cypress forests have thus far escaped the encroaching oil from the BP spill.
Among the coastal forests which must be spared the destruction facing our fragile coastal marshes, are the vast stretches of cypress comprising the Atchafalaya Basin.
We have been aware of several areas of the basin that are likely to have old growth cypress, but this is the first tree we have been able to measure and core. It is in the Williams Canal area of the Swamp east of the village of Bayou Sorrell (See map below)



This is area is well known to Dean Wilson (seen below measuring the tree), who takes visitors into this area with his Last Wilderness Swamp Tour. Dean is also the Atchafalaya Basinkeeper and a vigilant steward of this fragile ecosystem.

Here is a summary of location, tree size, core sample, and rings counted, and estimated age:

Iberville Parish
Inventory Code: IP-1
GPS coordinates30.06.173N 91.19.916W
Circumference: 16’8” Radius:2’8”
Core Samples (a) 2.63” percent of radius: .08% rings counted: 85
(b) 3.25” percent of radius: .10% rings counted: 110
Extrapolated age 900-1100yrs LPCL plaque #12 "Alive in 1803"

Based on the two corings and rings counted we are conservatively estimating the age of the tree at 900 years. This estimate would take into account the likelihood that, as with many old cypress that are hollowed out, the rings counted on the sample core are likely to represennt the slower growth periods of the tree.

Several other trees in the vicinity are equally as large, likely at least as old, and await LPCL measuring, coring, and dating.