The Klootchy Creek Giant is no longer America’s largest Sitka Spruce but state forestry officials hope people can still learn from what’s left of the severely storm-damaged tree.

The Oregon icon broke apart during the powerful storm that slammed the coast with high winds and surging floodwater. It broke along a lightning scar, about 75 feet above the ground.

 Background: Sitka Spruce hit hard by storm

Experts studied the tree after the storm and determined that it was too weakened by time and nature to save, so now it will be left alone to let nature take its course.

“Clatsop County Parks officials erected a fence a safe distance away from the tree, and installed interpretive materials telling the story of the dying tree,” said Paul Ries, an urban forester with the Oregon Department of Forestry and a member of the Oregon Heritage Tree Committee. "The tree failed exactly as we expected it to, and while it represents the loss of a unique state landmark, it also represents an opportunity to see the life cycle of the forest in action."

Hundreds of thousands of people have already visited Oregon’s Sitka Spruce in the past and learned about its evolution.

Also known as the Seaside Spruce, Oregon's tree stood at 17 feet in diameter and 206 feet tall. It shared the title of the country's largest Sitka with another tree in Washington's Olympic National Park.

The Sitka Spruce was also the first tree ever designated as an Oregon Heritage Tree.