It isn't often that one gets to visit physical things which are the largest, tallest, oldest, etc. But the General Sherman Sequoiadendrum gigantea is the largest tree by weight in the world. [What follows are several paragraphs from the Sequoia/Kings Canyon park brouchure.]
In volume of total wood the giant sequoia stands alone as the largest living thing on Earth. Its nearly conical trunk -- like a club, not a walking stick -- shows why. At least one tree species lives longer [bristlecone pines in the White Mtns near the CA/NV border], one has greater diameter, three grow taller [coastal redwoods and 2 other types of trees], but none is larger. In all the world, sequoias grow naturally on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, most often between 5,000 and 7,000 feet of elevation. There are some 75 groves in all. The General Sherman Tree is an estimated 2,200 years old. Its largest branch is almost seven feet in diameter. Every year the General Sherman grows enough new wood to make a 60-foot-tall tree of usual proportions.
"Most of the Sierra trees die of disease, fungi, etc.," John Muir wrote, "but nothing hurts the Big Tree. Barring accidents, it seems to be immortal." Muir was partially right. Chemicals in the wood and bark provided resistance to insects and fungi, and thick bark insulates them from most fire. The main cause of sequoia deaths is toppling. They have a shallow root system with no taproot. Soil moisture, root damage, and strong winds can lead to toppling.
Sequoia, America's Second Oldest National Park. San Joaquin residents and others urged Congress to protect Sierra tracts from logging in the 1880s. Some park proponents sought to protect water supplies for irrigation; others, the Big Trees. Preserving land for scenic and recreational values was an infant idea then.
Sequoia and Redwood Compared. The giant sequoia has a massive trunk, hugh stout branches, and cinnamon-colored bark. Also called "Sierra Redwood" and "Big Tree," it scientific name is Sequoiadendron giganteum. Sequoia sempervirens, is more conifer-like in profile.
Redwood facts:
- Height: to 367.8 feet
- Age: to 2,000 years
- Weight: to 1.6 million lbs.
- Bark: to 12 inches thick
- Branches: to 5 feet diameter
- Bases: to 22 feet dimeter
- Reproduce: by seed or sprout
- Seed size: like tomato seeds
- Cone size: like a large olive
Sequoia facts:
- Height: to 311 feet
- Age: to 3,200 years
- Weight: to 2.7 million lbs.
- Bark: to 31 inches thick
- Branches: to 8 feet diameter
- Bases: to 40 feet dimeter
- Reproduce: by seed only
- Seed size: like oat flakes
- Cone size: like chickens' eggs
[Click on photo 1 or 2 times to zoom in.]Note that there are free shuttles from the Lodgepole Visitor Center to the Gen Sherman Tree.
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Links:
- National Park Service web site for Sequoia & Kings Canyon Parks
Th 21 Apr Actual Route: Chowchilla - Merced - Chowchilla - Hensley Lake RV Campground
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