The Sycamore Tree: Is it 200 years old, or 300?

It’s hard to miss the huge sycamore tree along the driveway. It stands beside the summerhouse with a diameter of 4’6”. Many people ask when they see it, “How old do you think that tree is?”

Without any knowledge of how fast a sycamore grows, I would say 200 years old. That is until I saw the picture of the farm taken in the 1910’s or 1920’s and the sycamore wasn’t there.

The picture sparked my curiosity, so I researched sycamore trees. They are the largest deciduous tree in the eastern U.S., and can grow two feet in height per year. That’s amazing! I guess now I can tell people when they ask how old the sycamore tree is; It’s about 100 years old.