Centuries Old Cypress Landmarked near Sunshine, La-- Iberville Parish
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| Philip LeBlanc, Plaquemines Point neighbor (left); Ben Phillips, part owner /steward of Phillips tree (center); Eddie Lambert , State Senator (Dist.18), representing Ascension , Livingston and St.James Parish (right) |
Measuring 16' 10" circumference of Phillips Tree-- Determination of circumference above buttress
leads to projected age based on growth rings from borings (see below)
Here is the information on this ancient tree:
GPS: 30°17'46.3"N 91°11'54.1"W
Click here for map.
Circumference above buttress: 16'10"
Diameter: 4.2 feet
Here are the results from the borings from the Phillips tree:
1st boring:
148 approx rings / x = 5.12 inch boring length / 30 inch radius
x = Approx 867 projected rings
Second boring
162 approx rings / x = 6.12 inch boring length / 30 inch radius
x = Approx 794 projected rings
Based on these two borings, I would conservatively estimate the age at approx. 650 years old and likely over 700 years old.
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| Extremely closely spaced rings reflect slow, ,steady growth through the centuries |
What is very unusual about these borings is that they needed no sanding to reveal the rings--almost as if this aged grande dame was waiting to disclose her age -- the clear rings in the photos above (from the second boring) are exactly as they appeared coming from the tree!
The Phillips family-- who has provided benevolent stewardship of this tree and surrounding old growth for generations and Plaquemines Point residents have a real treasure in this grand old tree! Excluding the LPCL landmarked Iberville Parish cypress in the Atchafalaya --see
https://lapurchasecypresslegacy.blogspot.com/p/inventory.html ( scroll to Iberville Parish )-- only the old growth cypress in the Bluff Swamp/Alligator Bayou area may rival this tree as the oldest cypress in Iberville Parish. The Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy is proud to have awarded the Phillips Tree Plaque #96, attesting the tree to have been "Alive in 1803"-- in the case of this tree likely already at least 500 years old at the time of the Louisiana Purchase. (Note also in Inventory LPCL landmarked cypress on the nearby LeBlanc Tract-- threatened by the proposed new Iberville Parish Mississippi River Bridge (see August 2022 LPCL blog entry at https://lapurchasecypresslegacy.blogspot.com/2022/08/
We welcome readers of Antigravity Magazine, and invite them to join many others who have given us leads to 222+ year old cypress throughout the State. (see interactive State map of LPCL landmarked cypress at https://lapurchasecypresslegacy.blogspot.com/p/maps.html ) Harvey Stern, founder/director, can be reached at 504-452-8281 or 504-891-7116, email: LaPurchaseCypressLegacy@gmail.com The Louisiana Purchase Cypress Legacy is a 501(c)(3) organization.
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| Massive buttress reflects Phillips tree's ancient age and resilience through the centuries |
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| November ad for LPCL in Antigravity magazine |
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