Lookout tree

Last updated November 26, 2023

A lookout tree is a simple fire lookout tower created by attaching a ladder or a series of spikes to a tall straight tree with a view of the surrounding lands, allowing rangers or fire crews to conveniently climb the tree to survey their surroundings. The simplest kind consist only of a ladder to a suitable height: this kind was called a "ladder tree." Some ladder trees had platforms on the ground next to them for maps and a fire finder. A more elaborate version often created a platform on top of the tree trunk by cutting off approximately the last 10 feet (3.0 m) of the treetop and building a railed wooden platform on the resulting stump. These "platform trees" were often equipped with telephones, fire finder tables, seats and guy wires. Accommodation for the watcher was provided by a tent or shelter at the bottom of the tree.^[1]

Lookout trees were widely used in the Kaibab National Forest of northern Arizona,^[2] and Washington, United States as well as in Australia. The Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree in Western Australia reaches 75m, while the tallest lookout in the United States was the Cook Creek Spar Tree near Lake Quinault, Washington, at 179 feet (55 m) high from 1927 to 1955.^[3]

Australia

Eight karri trees were adapted as lookout trees in Western Australia in the 1930s and 1940s. The 72-metre (236 ft) Gloucester Tree features a cabin in its top and may be climbed by visitors, as can the even taller 75-metre (246 ft) Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree.^[4] The Diamond Tree continues in occasional use as a fire lookout.^[5]

United States

Lookout trees were used as ad hoc towers throughout the American West in the early 20th century. The most significant concentrations were in northern Arizona and the Coast Range of Washington and Oregon.

Arizona

Many of the surviving lookout trees in Arizona have been placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lookout trees in Kaibab National Forest were used from about 1916 until the 1960s. Some of the early trees were replaced by towers built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.^[1]

Arkansas

The Look See Tree in Coleman, Arkansas was used as a fire lookout for roughly ten to fifteen years from c. 1930 to c. 1940.

Washington

Although the Cook Creek Spar Tree was cut down in 1955 due to rot,^[3] another lookout tree remains, constructed in 1918 near Darrington, Washington. Abandoned as a lookout in the 1930s, it can be reached by the Lookout Tree Trail.^[6]

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Gloucester National Park is a national park in Western Australia, 281 km south of Perth and about 3 km from Pemberton.

Warren National Park is a national park in the South West region of Western Australia, 287 km (178 mi) south of Perth and 15 km (9.3 mi) south of Pemberton.

Darrington is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located in a North Cascades mountain valley formed by the Sauk and North Fork Stillaguamish rivers. Darrington is connected to nearby areas by State Route 530, which runs along the two rivers towards the city of Arlington, located 30 miles (48 km) to the west, and Rockport. It had a population of 1,347 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire lookout</span> Person responsible for spotting fires from a fire lookout tower

A fire lookout is a person assigned the duty to look for fire from atop a building known as a fire lookout tower. These towers are used in remote areas, normally on mountain tops with high elevation and a good view of the surrounding terrain, to spot smoke caused by a wildfire.

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Eucalyptus diversicolor, commonly known as karri, is a species of flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae and is endemic to the south-west of Western Australia. It is a tall tree with smooth light grey to cream-coloured, often mottled bark, lance-shaped adult leaves and barrel-shaped fruit. Found in higher rainfall areas, karri is commercially important for its timber.

The Gloucester Tree is a giant karri tree in the Gloucester National Park of Western Australia.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire lookout tower</span> Building to house a person who watches for wildfires

A fire lookout tower, fire tower, or lookout tower is a tower that provides housing and protection for a person known as a "fire lookout", whose duty it is to search for wildfires in the wilderness. It is a small building, usually on the summit of a mountain or other high vantage point to maximize viewing distance and range, known as view shed. From this vantage point the fire lookout can see smoke that may develop, determine the location by using a device known as an Osborne Fire Finder, and call for wildfire suppression crews. Lookouts also report weather changes and plot the location of lightning strikes during storms. The location of the strike is monitored for a period of days afterwards, in case of ignition.

The Washington Winch sits in the forests of eastern Victoria near Swifts Creek and is also known as the Washington Iron Works Skidder.

The Dave Evans Bicentennial Tree, a 75 m (246 ft) tall karri tree, was pegged for climbing to celebrate Australia's bicentenary in 1988. It is in Warren National Park in southwestern Australia. Although it has been used as a fire lookout, it is used mainly as a tourist attraction. The lookout platform is reached by climbing 165 metal spikes hammered into the trunk.

The Big Springs Lookout Tower is a fire lookout tower in Kaibab National Forest near Big Springs, Arizona. The tower was built in 1934 for the U.S. Forest Service by contractors from Kanab, Utah. The steel tower is 100 feet (30 m) tall and features a 7-foot (2.1 m) square cab at the top. A wood-frame cabin is located near the base of the tower; the cabin was built in 1959 to replace an older log cabin.

The lookout trees in Kaibab National Forest are the survivors of a system of improvised fire lookout towers that used tall, straight trees as vantage points. The practice of using trees as lookouts was widespread in the western United States during the early 20th century, as there was no need to build a foundation or to pack and assemble a tower structure. Instead, a prominent tree could be selected, and a ladder or a series of spikes could be attached to the tree trunk. For transient use this could be all that was done, but for more permanent use the top 10 feet (3.0 m) of the tree could be lopped, and a platform constructed on the resulting stump. This railed platform was then outfitted with a seat and a platform for an Osborne Fire Finder.

The Hull Cabin was built in the late 1880s near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon by settler William Hull. The Hull family arrived in the area in 1880 and established a ranch in the area, raising sheep and building the Hull Tank, a large earth-banked reservoir for their stock. The Hulls branched out into prospecting and were among the first to take in tourists heading to the Grand Canyon.

The Grand View Lookout Tower is a fire lookout in Kaibab National Forest near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The 80-foot (24 m) tall steel tower was built in the 1930s. Its observation cabin measures 7 feet (2.1 m) square. A small cabin is included in the designated area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Fingers Lookout</span> United States historic place

The Three Fingers Lookout is a historic fire observation building on one of the summits of Three Fingers Mountain in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Snohomish County, Washington. Built in 1930 in an extremely challenging location, it is one of the oldest surviving observation posts in the forest. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987, and is now maintained by a local climbing group.

Jacob Lake Lookout Tower is located in the North Kaibab Ranger District 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Fredonia, AZ.

The Green Mountain Lookout is a historic fire lookout tower located at the summit of Green Mountain in the Glacier Peak Wilderness and the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest in Snohomish County, Washington. The single-story wood-frame structure measures 14 by 14 feet and was built according to a standard National Forest Service design in 1933 by the Civilian Conservation Corps. The structure includes an exterior catwalk and a cable anchor system to protect from strong winds.

References

1 2 Steere, Peter L. (July 1987). "Lookout Trees on the Kaibab National Forest". National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Multiple Property Survey, National Forest Fire Lookouts in the Southwest Region, USDA Forest Service. p. 7/2–7/4. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
↑ "Grandview Lookout Tower". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
1 2 "Fire Towers of Northern Minnesota (brochure)" (PDF). Forest Fire Lookout Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
↑ Bain, Andrew (21 February 2006). "Jolly green giants". The Australian. Retrieved 2012-07-23.
↑ "Pemberton's Climbing Trees". Pemberton Visitor Centre. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.
↑ "Lookout Tree" (PDF). Fire Lookouts of the Darrington Area. Darrington Area Business Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

External links

Pemberton's Climbing Trees

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[mpssup1-1] 1 2 Steere, Peter L. (July 1987). "Lookout Trees on the Kaibab National Forest". National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Multiple Property Survey, National Forest Fire Lookouts in the Southwest Region, USDA Forest Service. p. 7/2–7/4. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[kaibab1-2] "Grandview Lookout Tower". U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[fla1-3] 1 2 "Fire Towers of Northern Minnesota (brochure)" (PDF). Forest Fire Lookout Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[aust-4] Bain, Andrew (21 February 2006). "Jolly green giants". The Australian. Retrieved 2012-07-23.

[permberton1-5] "Pemberton's Climbing Trees". Pemberton Visitor Centre. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

[darrington1-6] "Lookout Tree" (PDF). Fire Lookouts of the Darrington Area. Darrington Area Business Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 March 2011. Retrieved 24 July 2012.

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