The Pinchot Sycamore - Simsbury Twn, CT - Exceptional Trees on Waymarking.com

The Pinchot Sycamore is a large American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) in Simsbury, Connecticut. It is the largest tree in Connecticut. When measured by the Connecticut Botanical Society in 1998, the Pinchot Sycamore was 26 feet around and 95 feet tall, with an average canopy diameter of 140 feet. The sycamore is estimated to be at least 200 years old, and possibly over 300 years old. The tree was named in honor of influential conservationist and Connecticut resident Gifford Pinchot. It was originally dedicated to Pinchot in 1965, and re-dedicated with an engraved stone marker in 1975.

The Pinchot Sycamore is located on the east bank of the Farmington River, near the base of Talcott Mountain, south of the town center of Simsbury. Since the completion of the Pinchot Sycamore Lighting Project by the town in 1997, the tree is lit by floodlights at night. The Pinchot Sycamore Park surrounds the tree; the park includes a launching point onto the Farmington River for small boats. It is a popular area for canoeing.

According to the conservation group American Forests in 2000, the Pinchot Sycamore was scheduled to be listed in the 2001 edition of the National Register of Big Trees as one of the two largest known American sycamores in the United States, tied with a tree in Bath County, Virginia. In the 2008-2009 edition, a larger tree in Ashland, Ohio is listed as the champion American sycamore.

Genus/Species: American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) Height: 95 Girth: 1630 Method of obtaining height: Reliable source Method of obtaining girth: Reliable source Location type: Park Age: 300 Planter: Suspected to have been planted by Gifford Pinchot... Website reference: [Web Link] Walk time: 1 Historical significance: Not listed Parking coordinates: Not Listed Photograpy coordinates: Not Listed

Visit Instructions:
A closeup picture of your GPS receiver in your hand, with the tree in the background, is required. If the tree is on private property, this closeup photograph with the tree in the background may be taken from the nearest public vantage point without actually going to the tree.
The required photograph does not need to show the entire tree, but the individual tree must be recognizable.

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