A large butternut tree was cut down in West Sacramento, California. Was it the world's largest and why was it cut down?

dsimpy

Some people certainly believe that it was America's largest. The measurements were submitted on that basis, by arborist Kurt Stegen - acting on behalf of campaigners who had opposed the destruction of the tree - to the National Reister of Big Trees. After a lengthy campaign, the tree was cut down on July 22 2010 to make way for the construction of a new sewer pumping station. http://www.sacbee.com/2010/07/19/2898761/west-sacramentos-huge-butternut.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Anj2C4y1V4o Is it the largest in the world? Not everyone believes so. That claim is also made for their tree by the Royal Ottawa Golf Club: http://www.songonline.ca/ecsong/essays/bigtree.html The butternut is largely restricted to Canada and the Eastern US. In Canada it's an endangered species due to fungal disease, while in many US states it's listed as being 'of concern' or 'threatened'. Interestingly, on a side note, Confederate soldiers during the American civil war were sometimes referred to as butternuts, due to the fading of their grey uniforms to a tan brown nut colour. Jul 30 10, 3:54 PM