Canada's New Largest Sitka Spruce - The San Jo's Smiley Tree

After the San Juan Sitka Spruce near Port Renfrew lost its top in 2016 due to a lightning strike, it lost enough volume to be demoted from its previous status as Canada's largest sitka spruce.

So what is the largest Sitka spruce in the country now? 

According to BC's Big Tree Registry, the San Jo's Smiley tree found on northern Vancouver Island is now the largest sitka spruce in Canada.

The Smiley Sitka is measured at 4.36 meters in diameter, and 77.8 m tall. The girth of the tree, measured at a height of 1.30 m, is a whopping 13.69 m.

This is what bctreehunter21 on Instagram had to say about this special tree:

"San Jo's Smiley, an exceptional Sitka spruce near Vancouver Island's Cape Scott, exceeds all expectations. While the tree's diameter of 4.36 metres is very impressive, it's the entirety of its mass that is most significant. The lack of taper is unique, and even 20 metres up its 77 metre trunk, the width looks to be close to 2.50 metres!" 

It is, however, much harder to access than the San Juan Spruce. 

The Ancient Forest Alliance, in announcing and celebrating the new champ on September 27, 2023, says it is "located near the San Josef River outside of Holberg in Quatsino territory." 

While isolated in an area that few venture into, it is still well worth the trip, I am convinced. 

If you are on northern Vancouver Island in the Cape Scott region, and are feeling adventurous, definitely search out this amazing tree survivor.

These massive remnant trees are worth infinitely more standing than laying on the ground to be chopped and hacked and insulted by petty, temporary human desires. 

Cutting down trees that can live over a thousand years? When they are some of the last big trees of their type in the world?

How rude.

So it is incredible that trees, including the San Jo's Smiley Tree, still exist.

We are keeping it that way. BC and interested parties are ensuring that we are moving forward on big tree and forest protection.

That is great, because there are many more BC trees/forests worthy of protection that are currently at risk of being laid down.

The San Jo's Smiley tree, Canada's new largest Sitka Spruce, is one of the at risk trees.

It has no legal protection.

San Juan Sitka Spruce Update

San Jan Sitka Spruce, photo by Tim Gage 

The San Juan Sitka Spruce was the largest Sitka spruce on record in Canada, but is no more.

Reports are that this massive record-breaker lost part of its top to a lightning strike sometime in 2016, and it was enough to strike it from the top spot as the most massive sitka in the country.

However, this Sitka spruce that grows on Vancouver Island alongside the San Juan River 35 minutes from Port Renfrew, remains a visit-worthy big tree.

It was previously listed at 38.3' in circumference, 205' tall, with a crown spread of 75', containing 333 cubic meters of wood by volume.

The height is now measured at 198' instead of 205', and the difference means it has lost enough mass to remove its distinction as Canada's largest.

So what is the largest Sitka Spruce in Canada after the San Juan tree's fall from top spot?

We will cover the new record breaking tree in a future post.

Read more about Canada's former largest sitka spruce here, including directions to see the tree.

And remember, when visiting big trees, take nothing but pictures, and leave nothing but foot prints. I always try to leave any site I visit in better shape than when I arrived.