The Golden Spruce

My husband started reading this book last night, and he's hooked. He says the prologue is taking him back to the Pacific Northwest -- images, smells, and that amazing wilderness-meets-sea atmosphere. The Golden Spruce looks like an intriguing true story (of "myth, madness, and greed"), so I'm eager for updates as he gets deeper into the book.

The Tree:

Kiidk'yaas, also known as the Golden Spruce, was a unique Sitka spruce that grew on the banks of the Yakoun River in British Columbia. Its needles were bright gold due to a genetic mutation, so it must have glowed like a 165-foot tall candle in the dark northern woods. It's no surprise that Kiidk'yaas was held sacred by the native Haida people.

Kiidk'yaas in 1984 by Mike Beauregard / Wikimedia

The Fall:

In January of 1997, Grant Hadwin, a 48-year-old unemployed logger (who had purportedly been born again as an eco-warrior, if you can imagine) cut down Kiidk'yaas as a political statement. Hmmm ... He was later arrested, but disappeared on his way to trial.