 Cox felt that the request was scientifically sound and, after convincing superiors that the particular tree was not a notable landmark, gained approval for felling it.After securing permission, Cox informed Currey and assigned a Forest Service crew to join the young researcher and bring back the samples.The tree was cut and sectioned on August 6, 1964, and several pieces of the sections hauled out to be processed and analyzed, first by Currey, then, later, by others.