Culturally Modified Trees (CMT)

CMTs are Culturally Modified Trees. There are lots of 'em in British Columbia, Canada, Washington Stare, Oregon and Idaho. They are living historical reminders of who we are and from where we came. The pictured Western Red Cedar is on my neighbors property. As I was out washing the Exploder yesterday (oh the sweet irony) she hollered to announce what they had found when the arborist was over cutting dead trees the week before. She was very excited about having this tree in her backyard, as I was to have it in the neighborhood. We all know the Indian heritage of our Island and surrounds, indeed here at Battle Point, it carries particular interest, but to literally have a 400 year old textbook example is something to be honored. As the illustration shows, the "T" scar is from the tribe taking this section to build canoes. They would draw the shape in the tree, hammer in wedges and return a year or so later and peel away the shape and construct their boats. Pretty ingenious. The charred sections at the bottom are from cook fires where fish, oysters, clams and geoducks were prepared. The arborist thinks the tree to be 400 and the modifications and fire chars 200 years old.

That makes me feel better on a number of levels.