Sweet Chestnut tree in full bloom

I came across this beautiful Sweet chestnut tree in full flower in Portland.  This is the tree species that edible chestnuts come from and one good way to tell this tree apart from the non edible Horse Chestnut is by its flowers.

Giant Cedar near Elk River Idaho

Near the small town of Elk River, Idaho is the largest tree in North America east of the Cascade -Sierra Crest. The tree is a Western Red Cedar that is 18 feet in diameter at breast hight and 177 feet tall. The sign near the tree identifies it as the "Giant Cedar" but I have also seen it called the "King Cedar". This tree is estimated to be about 3000 years old.
Part of the reason for this trees great size is the fact that it has a small stream that literally flows right under it. The ground around the tree is rather boggy which is probably why a deck like platform has been built leading up to and around the tree. The platform is several feet off the ground. One of the interesting things about this tree is that it has wheelchair access. The trail from the parking area is paved right up to where the platform starts.
The trail that leads to the Giant Cedar takes you by a number of other very large Western Red Cedar trees that from a small grove of surviving giants. There are a good dozen trees that range in girth from 4 to 8 feet. Laying right next to the Giant Cedar is a large nurse log of a tree that must have been similar in size to the Giant. There is a small new cedar tree growing right up out of the side of the nurse log.
Looking up into the branches of th Giant Cedar is an interesting view as can be seen in the image below. There are a lot of dead branches on the tree but it is still very much alive.
The image below help to show the immense size of this tree at its base. Remember that the platform is about 2 feet off the ground.
This tree is a bit difficult to find. We were aided by the kind folks at the Elk River Lodge in Elk River who gave us a small map with instructions on how to find the tree. The distance from Elk River to the Giant Cedar is about 10-11 miles on a well kept forest service road. There is also some great camping sites along the road that takes you up to the King Cedar.

Also nearby is the Perkins Cedar Grove at Morris Creek.

Check out the BIG STUMP of another giant Cedar tree of years gone by.

Great Oak trees of Lizarraga near Pamplona

Near the tiny little town of Lizarraga near Pamplona, Spain there is a stand of great old Oak trees the largest of which is called "the Great Oak of Lizarraga". This stand of trees belong to the "white oak" section of the genus are are called "Downy Oaks" or "Pubescent Oaks" (Quercus pubescens).
There are only about 30-40 of the very large old oaks left in this stand and the largest of them is the one in the picture above. The sign below is located right in front of the tree. One curios piece of trivia about these trees is that according to the sign the land used to belong to Saint Fransis Xavier. Another interesting detail is that these oaks stand around the site of the ruins of a midieval town by the name of "Santa Constanza".

The trunk of the great Oak at Lizarraga has a circumferance of 7.54 metes and stands 17 meters tall. It is still quite healthy and does not have a hollow trunk like many other old oaks.
The picture below shows part of the stand of old oaks as seen from the ruins of Santa Constanza.
The image below is of the little town of Lizarraga (a Basque name that means "place where the Ash trees grow" which is somewhat odd since I only saw one Ash tree but the whole hillside is covered with oaks). The trail from this little town to the stand of old oaks is pretty will marked and takes about 20-25 minutes to walk. The whole trial is a loop which takes over an hour. Lizarraga is about a 20 minute drive south of Pamplona which itself is located in northern Spain.

The Great Oaks of Jauntsarats, Navarra

In the small town of Jauntsarats, Navarra there are several of the largest Oak trees of the Iberian peninsula. Navarra is an autonomous region in the north of Spain. Juantsarats is a very small town with a walking path (1.8 km) that leads visitors to various mightly, old Oak trees. The image above is of the largest Oak along the path. A sign by the tree gives it the name "Roble Kisulabe-ko Haritza". "Roble" is the Spanish word for "Oak". "Haritza" is the Basque word for Oak but I don´t know the meaning of "Kisulabe-ko" although I am pretty sure it is a Basque word as well.
This Great Oak of Jauntsarats has a trunk diameter of 3.53 meters and circumferance of 10.1 meters (at 1.5 meters off the ground). It´s crown is 12.2 metets accross and the tree is 11.6 meters tall. This aged giant is slowely dying of old age, it is likely more than 500 years old. Below is a picture of the sign showing the pathway to see the great trees.

The second largest of the great oaks is not as stout but stands considerably taller. At 1.5 meters off the ground its diameter is 2.75 meters and its circumferance is 8.7 meters. This Oak stands 29.1 meters tall. The image below does not show it but this tree has a large hollow on the other side.

Both of these large Oaks are of the Oak tree species Quercus robur which is commonly known as Pedunculate Oak.