Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy

St. Landry Parish's Two Oldest Known Cypress Identified

The "Cathedral Tree" near Washington LA.

Many thanks to Mr. and Mrs Larry Lieux for taking me to this beautiful old cypress that they've christened the "Cathedral Cypress". According to Larry, the tree is located on several hundred undeveloped acres of land known as Kops and Kids, which is leased for hunters and maintained by St. Landry Sherrif Bobby Guidroz. The Lieux's and friends ride horses on this heavily wooded property, and discovered this tree several years ago while on on of there horseback rides.

Last November we took a rollicking ride on the Lieux's Honda Big Red ATV on muddy, rutted paths to the site of the tree on Bayou Corron. 

Here's what we found

Cathederal Tree, (Lieux) St. Landry

GPS N30 37.113 W092 04.448

Circumference 24' at buttress (6.5 feet above ground), estimated 19' trunk

72 inch diameter, 36 inch radius

boring: 2.75 inches -- approx rings counted: 51

51 rings/x = 2.75(boring)/36(radius)

x=667 rings

PROJECTED AGE: APPROX 500-550 YEARS OLD  (This estimate accounts for the likely faster growing rate doing the tree's early years--the part of the tree that is now hollow)Cathederal Tree, 

Cathedral Cypress:
Tightly spaced rings indicative of a very old slow growing
cypress--approximately 51 counted on this boring

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Ancient Cypress Landmarked on Bayou Jack in St Landry Parish

This Bayou Jack Tree maintains a 24'+ trunk to the full upper canopy

Bayou Jack,  St. Landry Parish

GPS N30 50.778  W091 52.042

Circumference: 24’6’’ (trunk—6 ft above base)

Location on Bayou Jack in extreme NE St. Landry Parish northwest of Melville, just below Avoyelles Parish Line

This tree (and several nearby ones) certainly rivals the Cathedral Tree near Washington as the
oldest known cypress in St. Landry Parish. Although I was unable to to get a boring of the tree, it's 24 ft. trunk circumference certainly would make it at least as old as the Cathedral (At least 500 years old) As with the Cathedral cypress and many similarly sited LPCL  landmarked cypress , this is likely a very slow growing cypress. It has been landmarked with Plaque #42. Many thanks to Mr Rabelais for location information. This and the Cathedral Tree are prime examples of statewide (if not national) natural treasures hiding in plain site, but which could not have been landmarked without the
help of hunters, landowners and others who tell us where to find them!