1100 years old, bet it could tell lot of stories.
Excellent article, but afraid without a subscription you may not see it? old cedar

The Legacy Tree's status as Minnesota's oldest may be unknowable, but scientists believe many cedars in the Boundary Waters could be a thousand years old.

1600's The Ojibwe begin arriving in Minnesota, completing their migration from the East Coast
1730's French voyageurs start the fur trade in Minnesota.

Scientists know there were frequent fires in northern Minnesota as early as the 1600s because of burn scars found in tree rings. Many fires are attributed to Indigenous land management, such as burning forest to cultivate berries. The Ojibwe name for Basswood Lake means "lake of dried berries."

Most of the BWCA was logged. All of Basswood was logged. The loggers left the cedars because they at the time no one would buy the cedar as it was junk wood. Times change.

The cedars in most of the BWCA/Quetico are gnarled and stunted due to a lack of lime in the soil- not suitable for lumber. On the portage between Emerald and Plough (Quetico) there is an area with considerable limestone, the cedars on the portage are tall, straight and very wide, many trees 6' in diameter.

Unfortunately a wind event a few years back have knocked much of them down.

I thought this article might have been about the Cedar on the portage into Knife. You'll know it if you've been on this portage.

Great article, thanks for sharing.

The Enchanted Forest portage.







Below Lower Johnson Falls.





Kroft Lake cedars.












French Lake - Sea Horse portage.

Unload Lake.

YaMarVa: "I thought this article might have been about the Cedar on the portage into Knife. You'll know it if you've been on this portage.


Great article, thanks for sharing. "

The one between Hansen and Knife is my favorite.

I recall the island campsite on Boulder lake (the one north of Adams) having a really nice cedar grove. That's been probably 20 years though. Had heard that a storm did significant damage though.

Super neat to see that old growth though. Good reminder of how transient we all are in the scheme of things.

Thanks for sharing this article Pinetree!

There was an article in the boundary waters journal about the Bayley Bay tree a few years back. Saying it was believed to be the oldest. They had taken core samples on that one to determine… it was over 1100 years old for sure.