The twisted, gnarled and knotty colossal mass is the most beautiful log Richard Harvey has ever seen.
Harvey, who lives steps from the Seymour River, first spotted the large limb further upstream six months ago.
“And then there was very heavy rains that came down and it’s lodged now on the beach,” said Harvey, on Friday after visiting his favourite spot on the east bank of the Seymour River, just west of Maplewood Farm.
“Mostly, it just looks like a log, but when you get close to it you see whole histories of things having developed – twists and turns.”
Harvey was most taken by the size of the specimen, measuring 30 feet long and approximately 30 inches in diameter at its base. It’s suspected to be a branch from a much larger maple tree.
“It would be hard to get your arms around it,” said Harvey. “And I noticed how extraordinary beautiful and wonderful it is.”
Upon closer inspection of the log, the variations in the fibre and its knots are very impressive, explains Harvey, who contacted the District of North Vancouver to learn more about his nature find.
“While a unique specimen, we believe that it is best left where it is, to become a natural beach feature, said district parks manager Susan Rogers.
Moving the heavily waterlogged limb with machinery is out of the question as it could cause damage to the foreshore and trails in the area, according to an assessment by the district’s parks department.
A trail which can be accessed from the south end of Heritage Park Lane leads to the banks of the Seymour.
Harvey has been watching the progress Seymour Salmonid Society volunteers, other various stewardship agencies and Metro Vancouver have been making in their efforts to unblock the Seymour River after a massive rock slide in late 2014.
Given its size, it’s likely the log started its journey downstream from below the blockage on the Seymour, said Metro Vancouver spokesman Greg Valou.
A heavy windstorm could have separated the limb from the trunk of the tree, added Valou, after talking to Metro’s superintendent of environmental management.
While not much is known of this great maple, Harvey sees it as a piece of art and hopes the driftwood will be kept on the beach for the public to enjoy.
“It has a hidden biography," said Harvey. "Arborists would know how to untangle those pieces of information. I just respond it to as a piece of sculpture.”
