Stagg (tree)

Last updated
The Stagg Tree - the fifth largest tree in the world Stagg Tree.jpg
The Stagg Tree the fifth largest tree in the world

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.

Contents

Stagg has sat upon the private land of the Rouch family, making it the largest privately owned tree in the world. However, it remains freely accessible to the public. [1]

History

The tree was renamed in 1960 after Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862–1965), a pioneering football coach at the University of Chicago who spent much of the last several decades of his life coaching in Stockton in the nearby San Joaquin Valley. [2]

In 1993, a group of climbers scaled the full height of the tree and discovered a hollow room inside its trunk near the very top.

On September 17, 2019, the Save the Redwoods League announced it had agreed to pay the Rouch family $15.6 million by December 31 to formally protect Stagg and the surrounding grove. Once the deal is finalized, the League plans to spend another $4.75 million on ecosystem studies and restoration work before handing the grove over to the U.S. Forest Service to be incorporated into Giant Sequoia National Monument. [1] It will then become the largest giant sequoia on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, edging out the Boole Tree of Converse Basin Grove, the current largest on forest service land.

The Stagg tree was saved from the Castle Fire in 2020 by a sprinkler system set by firefighters. [3]

Dimensions

L. Day noticed the tree in 1931 and, with help from two others, made measurements of it in 1932. Wendell Flint, the author (with photographer Mike Law) of To Find the Biggest Tree, measured it in 1977 as follows:

MetresFeet
Height above base74.1243.0
Circumference at ground33.3109.0
Diameter 1.5 m above base7.0522.9
Diameter 18 m (60') above base5.618.2
Diameter 55 m (180') above base3.812.5
Estimated bole volume (m³.ft³)1,205.042,557.0

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Sequoiadendron giganteum</i> Species of tree native to North America

Sequoiadendron giganteum, also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood or Sierra redwood is a coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth. They are native to the groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California but are grown around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">General Grant (tree)</span> Giant sequoia in Kings Canyon National Park, California

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 after the General Sherman tree. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sequoia National Forest</span> 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Save the Redwoods League</span> Nonprofit forest conservation organization in San Francisco, California (USA)

Save the Redwoods League is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore coast redwood and giant sequoia trees through the preemptive purchase of development rights of notable areas with such forests.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Converse Basin Grove</span> Giant sequoia grove in Fresno County, California, United States

Converse Basin Grove is a grove of giant sequoia trees in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California, 5 miles (8 km) north of General Grant Grove, just outside Kings Canyon National Park. Once home to the second-largest population of giant sequoias in the world, covering 4,600 acres (19 km2) acres, the grove was extensively logged by the Sanger Lumber Company at the turn of the 20th century. The clearcutting of 8,000 giant sequoias, many of which were over 2,000 years old, resulted in the destruction of the old-growth forest ecosystem.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alder Creek Grove</span> Giant sequoia grove in Tulare County, California, United States

Alder Creek Grove is a giant sequoia grove located both on private land and within the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the western Sierra Nevada of California. The grove is spread out over approximately 785 acres (318 ha) of land and contains 483 giant sequoias that are at least 25.5 feet in diameter, including the Stagg Tree, the 5th largest tree in the world and one of the oldest known living giant sequoias. Though on private land, the Rouch family made part of their land accessible to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mountain Home Grove</span> Giant sequoia grove in Tulare County, California, United States

Mountain Home Grove 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garfield Grove</span> Giant sequoia grove in Tulare County, California, United States

Garfield Grove is a Giant Sequoia grove. The entire 2,902 acres (11.74 km2) lies in Sequoia National Park in the Sierra Nevada range in eastern California in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boole (tree)</span> Giant sequoia in California, United States

The Boole Tree is a giant sequoia in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Fresno County, California. The Boole Tree is the eighth tallest sequoia in the world and is the largest in terms of base circumference at 113 feet. It is estimated to be more than 2,000 years old. The tree's stature is accentuated by its isolation above the Kings River where it towers over the rest of the forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Genesis (tree)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Meadow Grove</span> Giant sequoia grove in Tulare County, California, United States

Long Meadow Grove, also known as Redwood Meadow Grove, is a giant sequoia grove located within Sequoia National Forest approximately 3.25 mi (5.23 km) west of Johnsondale, California. The grove is part of the southern section of Giant Sequoia National Monument and is administered by the U.S. Forest Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Adam (tree)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hart (tree)</span>

The Hart Tree is a Giant sequoia tree within the Redwood Mountain Grove, in the Sierra Nevada and Fresno County, California. The Redwood Mountain Grove is protected within Kings Canyon National Park and the Giant Sequoia National Monument. It is the 25th largest giant sequoia in the world, and could be considered the 24th largest depending on how badly Ishi Giant atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

Sequoia Crest is a census-designated place (CDP) in Tulare County, California. The community of Sequoia Crest contains more than 150 Giant Sequoias scattered throughout the subdivision. Sequoia Crest sits at an elevation of 7,008 feet (2,136 m). The 2020 United States census reported Sequoia Crest's population was 24, up from 10 at the 2010 census. Sequoia Crest can be reached from Porterville by 41 curvy miles most on California State Route 190 with an elevation gain of 6,549 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Methuselah (sequoia tree)</span> Giant sequoia tree in the Sierra Nevada, eastern California

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hercules (tree)</span>

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.

John Adams, also known as just Adams, is a giant sequoia located within the Giant Forest Grove of Sequoia National Park, California. The tree was named after John Adams, the 2nd president of the United States. The tree is the thirteenth largest giant sequoia in the world.

References

  1. 1 2 "Biggest private sequoia grove to be preserved in deal with Redwoods League". SFChronicle.com. 2019-09-17. Retrieved 2019-12-14.
  2. "Stagg Tree - Famous Redwoods". famousredwoods.com. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  3. Associated Press (2021-06-04). "Study: One California wildfire killed 10% of world's giant sequoias". San Jose Mercury News.

36°11′29″N118°37′08″W / 36.19131°N 118.61878°W / 36.19131; -118.61878