Sequoiadendron giganteum is the sole living species in the genus Sequoiadendron, and one of three species of coniferous trees known as redwoods, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae, together with Sequoia sempervirens and Metasequoia glyptostroboides. Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth. The common use of the name sequoia generally refers to Sequoiadendron giganteum, which occurs naturally only in groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.
The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a 328,000-acre (1,330 km2) U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 39 Giant Sequoia groves that are located in the Sequoia National Forest, about half of the sequoia groves currently in existence, including one of the ten largest Giant Sequoias, the Boole Tree, which is 269 feet high with a base circumference of 112 feet. The forest covers 824 square miles.
The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily in Nevada. The Sierra Nevada is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges that consists of an almost continuous sequence of such ranges that form the western "backbone" of North America, Central America, South America and Antarctica.
General Grant Grove, a section of the greater Kings Canyon National Park, was established by the US Congress in 1890 and is located in Fresno County, California. The primary attraction of General Grant Grove is the giant sequoia trees that populate the grove. General Grant Grove's most well-known tree is the General Grant Tree, which is 267 feet tall and the third largest known tree in the world. The General Grant Tree is over 1,500 years old and is known as the United States's national Christmas Tree. General Grant Grove consists of 154 acres and is geographically isolated from the rest of Kings Canyon National Park.
Kings Canyon National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada, in Fresno and Tulare Counties, California. Originally established in 1890 as General Grant National Park, the park was greatly expanded and renamed to Kings Canyon National Park on March 4, 1940. The park's namesake, Kings Canyon, is a rugged glacier-carved valley more than a mile (1,600 m) deep. Other natural features include multiple 14,000-foot (4,300 m) peaks, high mountain meadows, swift-flowing rivers, and some of the world's largest stands of giant sequoia trees. Kings Canyon is north of and contiguous with Sequoia National Park, and the two are jointly administered by the National Park Service as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.
Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundaries of the forest.
Converse Basin was logged of most of its giant sequoias between 1892 and 1918. Some 60-100 large specimens survive out of some 6,000. The grove is composed of thousands of young sequoias together with these few remaining mature trees. This grove was once the second largest grove of giant sequoias in the world. It offers unique opportunities to study the growth of young sequoias and to create timelines from tree rings on the stumps of cut mature trees.
The Boole tree, sixth-largest tree in the worldThe Muir SnagThe Boole tree, top branches mostly dead
Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are:
The Boole Tree: Prior to 1931, this tree was thought by some to be the largest tree in the world (although the nearby General Grant Tree was more popularly recognized as the largest at the time), but after measuring many other specimens The Boole Tree was rated at number 6, with a volume of 42,472 cubic feet (1,202.7m3). This tree has an enormous base, with a girth of over 113 feet (34m). The tree is 267 feet (81m) tall.
The Muir Snag: Thought to be the oldest giant sequoia, this now dead tree is still standing but only at 140 feet (43m) tall. It has a maximum base diameter of 35.9 feet (10.9m) and before it died its perimeter could have been as much as 110 feet (34m). This tree is thought to have been more than 3500 years old when it died.
The Boole Tree is a giant sequoia in Converse Basin grove of Giant Sequoia National Monument, in the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California.
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The General Grant tree is the largest giant sequoia in the General Grant Grove section of Kings Canyon National Park in California and the second largest tree in the world.
Sequoia National Park is an American national park in the southern Sierra Nevada east of Visalia, California. The park was established on September 25, 1890 to protect 404,064 acres of forested mountainous terrain. Encompassing a vertical relief of nearly 13,000 feet (4,000 m), the park contains the highest point in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney, at 14,505 feet (4,421 m) above sea level. The park is south of, and contiguous with, Kings Canyon National Park; the two parks are administered by the National Park Service together as the Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. UNESCO designated the areas as Sequoia-Kings Canyon Biosphere Reserve in 1976.
Calaveras Big Trees State Park is a state park of California, United States, preserving two groves of giant sequoia trees. It is located 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of Arnold, California in the middle elevations of the Sierra Nevada. It has been a major tourist attraction since 1852, when the existence of the trees was first widely reported, and is considered the longest continuously operated tourist facility in California.
Nelder Grove is a Giant sequoia grove located in the western Sierra Nevada within the Sierra National Forest, in Madera County, California.
Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of Giant Sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of its trees are among the 30 largest Giant Sequoias in the world. The grove closed on July 6, 2015 for a restoration project and reopened on June 15, 2018.
Redwood Mountain Grove is the largest grove of giant sequoia trees on earth. It is located in Kings Canyon National Park and Giant Sequoia National Monument on the western slope of California's Sierra Nevada. The grove contains the world's tallest giant sequoia. The Hart Tree and Roosevelt Tree grow in the grove and are two of the 25 largest trees by volume in the world. The largest tree is the General Sherman Tree in the Giant Forest grove to the southeast.
The Giant Forest, famed for its giant sequoia trees, is within the United States' Sequoia National Park. This montane forest, situated at over 6,000 feet (1,800 m) above mean sea level in the western Sierra Nevada of California, covers an area of 1,880 acres (7.6 km2). The Giant Forest is the most accessible of all giant sequoia groves, as it has over 40 miles (64 km) of hiking trails.
Alder Creek Grove is a Sequoiadendron giganteum grove located within the Giant Sequoia National Monument in California, USA.
Mountain Home Grove is a grove of Giant Sequoia trees that is located in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, and includes some of the largest trees in the world.
Black Mountain Grove is a large sequoia grove containing more than 500 large trees, on the slopes of Black Mountain located between the Middle and South Forks of Tule River. It lies partly in the Tule River Indian Reservation. Black Mountain Grove is 19.3 miles long and is the sixth largest specimens in the world of all groves. It is dry and hot during summer time which is potentially negative to the forest because it is a higher risk for wildfires. During the winter time, it is cold and fresh. The Black Mountain Grove was a highlight in history because it was the conventional point to stop logging in groves. It played a significant role in the creation of Giant Sequoia National Monument.
Muir Grove is a giant sequoia grove in Sequoia National Park of the Tulare County, which covers about 215 acres (0.87 km2). The grove, located in the northwest corner of the park, is accessed by the Muir Grove Trail which begins from the Dorst Creek Campground. Because of its relatively remote location in the park, it is significantly less visited than the more popular groves of large sequoia trees in the park. The isolated atmosphere helps keep Muir Grove untouched and preserved.
The Genesis Tree is a giant sequoia that is the seventh largest tree in the world. It is located in Mountain Home State Forest, a sequoia grove located in Sequoia National Forest in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California.
The King Arthur Tree is a giant sequoia located in Garfield Grove, the grove is near the town of Three Rivers in California. The tree was once known as the California Tree, as shown in National Park Service promotional literature from 1917. The King Arthur is the ninth largest giant sequoia in the world. Its base of up to about 50 feet rivals the General Sherman, the largest giant sequoia, for total mass.
The General Noble Tree was a Giant Sequoia tree formerly within the Converse Basin Grove, with its site located in Giant Sequoia National Monument of the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California.
The Methuselah Tree is a giant sequoia that is the 27th largest tree in the world. It is located in Mountain Home State Forest, a sequoia grove located in Sequoia National Forest in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California.
