Environment
Archived — This article has been archived. The information may be outdated.
Wyoming pauses spruce airlift after 200 emails
The Economic Times··14 Sept
The Shoshone National Forest paused a plan to airlift an inscribed Engelmann spruce from Wyoming wilderness after about 200 public emails objected. Surveyors carved names on the tree on October 3, 1893, while mapping the Yellowstone Forest Reserve. Wyoming had allocated $25,000 toward recovery for museum display. Supervisor Ken Coffin said it will not be removed in 2026.
Prism
What It Means For You
- The inscribed section will stay in the wilderness through 2026 under the pause.
- Forest officials are discussing a 3D scan and replica with Wyoming State Parks.
- Removal would have needed multiple helicopter landings inside designated wilderness.
What's Happening
- Wilderness Watch urged members to write after learning of the helicopter plan.
- Coffin said he personally supports removal but acknowledged weak public consultation.
- Wyoming State Parks Director Dave Glenn said he is open to a replica while still preferring extraction.
Why The Tree Matters
- The spruce stands about 28 miles from the nearest trailhead in the southern Absaroka Mountains.
- Phillip M. Gallaher's crew carved names after a snowstorm stranded them in October 1893.
- The Yellowstone Forest Reserve, created in 1891, was a precursor to Shoshone National Forest.
all-news
