This is a story of something taken for granted for much too long — perhaps as long as 700 years.

I can't tell you how many times I've driven from Portland, Oregon to Seaside. I can tell you that I've never stopped along the way at Klootchy Creek County Park to view the largest Sitka spruce in the United States. Well, it's too late now.

The storm that ravaged the Pacific Northwest last weekend "snapped" the tree some 75 feet off the ground, in effect killing the largest tree in Oregon and one of the oldest living things in the state.

Today's stats are devoted to Klootchy:

• height: 200 feet
• diameter: 17 feet
• circumference: 56 feet
• crown spread: 93 feet
• age: Estimated 500 to 750 years old.

According to  the Clatsop County website:

The tree started as a seedling shortly after the signing of the Magna Carta in 1215. (The only way to determine the age is by counting the rings. There is no tree borer big enough.)

In honor of Klootchy, NewWest takes a look at a few of the things that have happened to the environment over the past 700 years — it's worth reading and reflecting upon.

Carbon Neutral Journal's stats are brought to you by Blue Spruce Cleaners.

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