Mountain Home Grove

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Mountain Home Grove [1]
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Location Giant Sequoia National Monument (Tulare County)
Nearest city Springville, CA
Coordinates 36°14′24″N118°40′18″W / 36.24000°N 118.67167°W / 36.24000; -118.67167 Coordinates: 36°14′24″N118°40′18″W / 36.24000°N 118.67167°W / 36.24000; -118.67167
Area4,800 acres (19.4 km2)
Elevation6,460 ft (1,970 m)
Governing body U.S. Forest Service, Mountain Home State Forest, and Balch County Park
The Methuselah tree in the Mountain Home Grove is one of the largest Sequoia trees in the world. Methuselah tree.jpg
The Methuselah tree in the Mountain Home Grove is one of the largest Sequoia trees in the world.
The Hercules tree in the Mountain Home Grove has a large room cut into it. Hercules tree.jpg
The Hercules tree in the Mountain Home Grove has a large room cut into it.

Mountain Home Grove [1] is a grove of giant sequoia trees located in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, and includes some of the largest trees in the world. [2]

Contents

Description

Mountain Home Grove is located partly in Balch Park, [3] which is administered by Tulare County, California, partly in the Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (MHDSF), [4] [5] and partly in Giant Sequoia National Monument, which was formerly in Sequoia National Forest. The grove includes four of the 20 largest giant sequoia trees (by volume), as well as several other notable trees. This makes Mountain Home the second largest grove of sequoias. Only the Giant Forest in Sequoia National Park is larger. Because of easy access from the cities of Fresno and Porterville, and far fewer visitors than in the groves in Yosemite, Kings Canyon and Sequoia national parks, the Mountain Home Grove is considered one of the best places to see giant sequoias. [2]

History

John Muir in some words he wrote in 1875 on Yosemite, but did not publish until 1890, described the sequoia groves in the upper drainage of the north fork of the Tule River (i.e., the Mountain Home Grove) as "the finest block of Sequoia in the entire belt". [6] Nonetheless, logging began here in the 1870s, and in the next few years many of the big trees were felled, including the Centennial tree, which many at the time believed to be the largest tree on earth. Fortunately, pioneers John Doyle and Jesse Hoskins in the 1880s acquired separate tracts of land in the heart of these big trees, Doyle for a time operating a resort here that he called "Summer Home", and Hoskins simply hoping to save the big trees from being cut down. Another entrepreneur, Andrew Jackson Doty, with his wife Sarah built just outside the grove, not far from Hoskins' and Doyle's trees, a popular hotel that they named "Mountain Home", and this is the name by which the grove came to be known. [3] [7]

Whereas many trees in the Mountain Home Grove were logged, those on the Doyle and Hoskins tracts were saved. Today Doyle's "Summer Home" is part of Balch Park, a Tulare County Park; and much of the surrounding forest, including Hoskins' stand of trees, are part of a California State conservation project known as the Mountain Home State Demonstration Forest. Although logging continued until 1956 in the unprotected parts of the grove, there has been no significant tree cutting since, except to mitigate fire danger and to protect the largest trees. The Mountain Home Grove on 15 April 2000 became part of the newly created Giant Sequoia National Monument, under the management of the U.S. Forest Service, with Balch Park continuing under jurisdiction of Tulare County, and the State Demonstration Forest remaining under control of the State of California. [5] [8]

Hoskins and Doyle identified and named many of the big trees in the Mountain Home Grove, but a century later retired mathematics teacher Wendell Flint, with the help of photographer Mike Law, began searching for large sequoias that the early tree hunters had overlooked. They discovered, and subsequently measured and named, several sequoias that are now considered to be among the largest living trees on earth, including three trees in the Mountain Home Grove that are now included in the top forty largest trees in terms of volume. [2]

Many trees in the grove were destroyed or damaged by the Castle Fire in 2020. It is estimated that between 31% and 42% of giant sequoias were destroyed in groves affected by the Castle Fire. [9]

Noteworthy trees

Some of the noteworthy trees in Mountain Home Grove are listed below. [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

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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 giant sequoia tree in the world. Once thought to be well over 2,000 years old, recent estimates suggest the General Grant tree is closer to 1,650 years old. The tree also features the third largest footprint of any living giant sequoia, measuring 107.6 ft (32.8 m) in circumference at ground level.

Sequoia National Forest National forest in the U.S. state of California

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.

Boole (tree) Giant sequoia in California, United States

The Boole Tree is a giant sequoia in the Converse Basin Grove of Giant Sequoia National Monument, in the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California. It is estimated to be over 2,000 years old.

Stagg (tree)

The Stagg Tree, officially the Amos Alonzo Stagg Tree and formerly known as the Day Tree, is a giant sequoia in Alder Creek Grove in California's Sierra Nevada mountains. It is the fifth largest tree in the world and the tallest giant sequoia south of Lincoln in Sequoia National Park. Stagg features the second largest footprint of any living giant sequoia, measuring 109 ft (33 m) in circumference at ground level, and second only to Boole. The tree is believed to be over 3,000 years old, making it one of the oldest living giant sequoias.

Genesis (tree)

The Genesis Tree is a giant sequoia that is the seventh largest tree in the world. It is located within the Mountain Home Grove, a giant sequoia grove located in Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest in the Sierra Nevada of eastern California. The Genesis Tree was heavily damaged by the Castle Fire in 2020.

Grizzly Giant Giant sequoia tree in Yosemite National Park, California, United States

The Grizzly Giant is a giant sequoia in Yosemite National Park's Mariposa Grove. It was measured many times, most recently in 1990 by Wendell Flint. He figured a volume of 34,005 cubic feet (962.9 m3), which makes it the 26th largest living giant sequoia.

Adam (tree)

The Adam Tree is a giant sequoia located in Mountain Home Grove, a sequoia grove in Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada of California. It is the 21st largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered the 20th largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

Balch Park

Balch Park is a county park in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California that features a grove of Giant Sequoia trees. It also has archaeological sites relating to the early Native Americans of the area, and to the late 19th- and early 20th-century logging industry that cut down many of the big trees in the area.

Hollow Log (Balch Park)

The Hollow Log of Balch Park is the naturally hollowed out log of a fallen Giant Sequoia tree. It is also one of the best known features of the Mountain Home Grove, a stand of Giant Sequoia trees that surrounds Balch Park in Tulare County, California.

Methuselah (sequoia tree)

The Methuselah Tree is a giant sequoia located in Mountain Home State Forest, a sequoia grove located in Sequoia National Forest in the Sierra Nevada in eastern California. It is the 28th largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered the 27th largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

Hercules (tree)

The Hercules Tree in the Mountain Home Grove of California is a living giant sequoia tree that has a room carved into the center of it. It is also known as the "Room Tree".

Allen Russell is the 32nd or 33rd largest giant sequoia in the world. It is also the largest tree in Balch County Park, and is part of the Mountain Home Grove, a sequoia grove located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California, United States. It is the 34th largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered either the 33rd or 32nd largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant and Black Mountain Beauty have atrophied following devastating wildfires in 2015 and 2017, respectively.

The Summit Road Tree is a giant sequoia located in the Mountain Home Grove, one of several sequoia groves found in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. It is the 16th largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered the 15th largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

The Euclid Tree is a giant sequoia located in the Mountain Home Grove, one of several sequoia groves found in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. It is the 17th largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered the 16th largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

Pier Fire

The Pier Fire was a wildfire that burned near Springville and in the Sequoia National Forest, in California in the United States. The fire was reported on August 29, 2017. The cause of the fire is under investigation, but is believed to be human-caused. The fire was completely extinguished on November 29, after it had burned 36,556 acres (148 km2). The fire threatened old growth sequoia trees, the Tule River Indian Reservation, and many small communities in the area.

Floyd Otter (tree)

Floyd Otter is a giant sequoia located in Garfield Grove, which is itself located near the town of Three Rivers, California. The tree was named after former Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest manager Floyd L. Otter. The tree is the twelfth largest giant sequoia in the world. It was severely burned in the Castle Fire in 2020 and may be moribund.

Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest

Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (MHDSF) is a state forest located on Bear Creek Road, 28 km (17 mi) northeast of Springville in Tulare County, California. The protected land covers an area of 4,807 acres (19 km2) with an elevation range between 1,463 m (4,800 ft) and 2,377.5 m (7,800 ft). The forest is best known for its namesake giant sequoia grove, Mountain Home Grove, which is home to some of the largest giant sequoias in the world.

Above Diamond Large giant sequoia tree in Sequoia National Park, California

Above Diamond, also known by the abbreviation AD, is a giant sequoia located within the Atwell Mill Grove of Sequoia National Park, California. Naturalists Dennis Coggins, Wendell D. Flint, and Michael M. Law named the tree "Above Diamond" after Diamond, a giant sequoia located just downhill from the tree. It is the second largest tree in Atwell Mill Grove, the 24th largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered the 23rd largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mountain Home Grove". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Flint, Wendell D. & Law, Mike (2002). To Find the Biggest Tree (2nd ed.). Three Rivers, California: Sequoia Natural History Association. pp. 65–75. ISBN   1878441094.
  3. 1 2 William Tweed. "The Story of Balch Park". Tulare County Treasures. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  4. Kelly Long. "Mountain Home Demonstration State Fores". California Department of Rarks and Recreation. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  5. 1 2 "Mountain Home". Cal Fire (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection). Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  6. Muir, John (1890). "Treasures of the Yosemite". The Century Magazine: Vol. XL. August, 1890. No. 4. This article is available online at "Treasures of the Yosemite". Sierra Club website. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  7. Otter, Floyd L. (1963). The Men of Mammoth Forest: A Hundred-year History of a Sequoia Forest and its People in Tulare County, California. Edwards Brothers Printers, Inc. 163 p. ISBN   0961445912.
  8. Otter, Floyd L. & Dulitz, David (2007). The History of A Giant Sequoia Forest: The Story of Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest. Otter Veterinary Services, Incorporated. pp. 11–67. ISBN   978-0961445935.
  9. Stephenson, Nathan; Christy, Brigham (2021-06-25). "Preliminary Estimates of Sequoia Mortality in the 2020 Castle Fire". NPS.
  10. 1 2 Cag, Sue (2021-06-25). "Mountain Home Castle Fire Update". Ilovetrees.net.
  11. Cag, Sue (2021-07-21). "Great Bonsai Drops and Burns in Mountain Home". Ilovetrees.net.

Further reading