1,000 year old tree falls in Aptos

The Advocate Tree at the Forest of Nisene Marks State Park in Aptos held its ground for over 1,000 years but recent storms finally proved to be too much. This weekend, the giant redwood came crashing to the ground.

The Aptos History Museum reported the tree’s fall on Sunday, saying the giant redwood was over 1,000 years old, 39 feet in circumference, and stood 253 feet tall, making it among the tallest trees in the park.

The group’s Instagram report called it “beyond overwhelming.”

The Advocate Tree was named for the “Advocates for the Forest of Nisene Marks,” an organization that supports improvements to the state park.

Many people, including Kevin Newhouse with the Aptos History Museum, took the loss personally.

“I have been visiting this tree for years,” Newhouse told KION. “It has always brought me peace with whatever troubles I was facing. I cannot describe what losing this tree means to me on a personal level. When I saw it for the first time after it fell, I touched its bark and cried my eyes out. I feel like I lost a very old friend.”

Online comments included, “I loved that tree so much,” “I haven’t cried that hard in a long time,” and “What a life…what a beautiful life. Love to the forest.”

KION’s Matt Sizemore reports that over 1,000 trees in Santa Cruz County have been claimed by this season’s heavy rain and wind storms. Tonight, he visits the park and talks with visitors about the loss of the old growth giant.