- The big tree, or giant sequoia, is among the longest-living forest trees.
For sheer size, no tree can match the giant sequoia, also called the big tree. The largest giant sequoia—a tree called the General Sherman in Sequoia National Park—has a trunk that is said to fill up more space than any other single living thing on Earth. Scientists refer to the giant sequoia by the name
Sequoiadendron giganteum. It is related to the redwood.
Where giant sequoias grow
Giant sequoias are found in scattered groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada range in east-central California. The tree grows at elevations between 3,000 and 8,500 feet (900 and 2,600 meters).
Physical features
Giant sequoias are very tall trees. Some are more than 280 feet (85 meters) high. They also have massive trunks, sometimes more than 100 feet (30 meters) around at the base. A giant sequoia loses its lower branches as it matures, which means that a person standing next to one has to look way up to see anything but the trunk.
Giant sequoias are cone-bearing evergreens. The overlapping leaves are blue-green. At 3 1/2 inches (9 centimeters) long, sequoia cones are larger than redwood cones but still tiny compared to the tree. The seeds themselves are only about 1/4 inch (0.6 centimeter) long.
Giant sequoias can live to a very old age. The age of a living tree cannot be measured accurately, but sequoias that were chopped down have been found to be between 3,500 and 4,000 years old. The wood is rich in chemicals that ward off pests and rot. The tree's main defense against fire is its reddish brown bark, which does not burn easily and can grow more than 12 inches (30 centimeters) thick around the trunk.
Like the redwood, the giant sequoia has one weakness, and that is its shallow root system. The trees that are not chopped down by humans die mostly by toppling over. The trunk of a dead tree may not rot away for hundreds of years.
Uses
Although giant sequoias have been cut down for lumber, the wood breaks more easily than redwood wood. This has aided the cause of preservation. Most of the trees are now under the protection of state or national forests or parks, including the Sequoia National Park.