AN IMMENSE TREE

Waipa Post, Volume 32, Issue 1784, 20 July 1926, Page 3

AN IMMENSE TREE

A WEST AUSTRALIAN KARRI. The following particulars of a giant karri, which was felled during the ordinary course of sawmilling operations by the, State Sawmills in 'the Pemberton district, were obtained by Mr S. L. Kessell, 'Conservator of Forests of Western Australia, during an inspection of regeneration operations on country being cut over by the Pemberton mill:—Total height from ground to top of foliage, 265 ft; girth at 4ft 6in above ithe ground, 33ft. Although the tree had no considerable spurs it was cut off 13ft above ground level, at which point the measurements'were:—Diameter. 9ft 4in; girth, 28ft 3in. The log was sound in the centre, and at the time of measurement was cut into five 20ft logs. The measurements ait the top cut (113 ft above the ground level) were:—Girth, 19ft 3in; diameter, 6ft. The barrel continued more or less cylindrical fo r another 20ft before the main branches occurred,' and it was intended to off another 20 ft length. Thus the total height was made up of: 'Stump, 13ft, six logs 122 ft; branches and foliage, 130 ft; total, 265 ft. The time taken to fall this tree,was nine hours, as follows:—Scarfiing by rase of axe, five hours; backing down with saw, four hours. Fortunately ithe tree was only a short distance from the railway, and it was loaded direct on to trucks by use of a horse driven winding drum, the logs weighing approximately 20 tons' each. The volume of timber, in ithe round, in the main log of this tree, exclusive of branches, worked out at something over 103 loads, or 62,200 super feet.