General Sherman Tree Facts

This giant sequoia dwarfs the tourist at its base.

The General Sherman Tree is one of the most-visited sequoias in the United States. Although many sequoias met their demise in turn-of-the-century lumber mills, the General Sherman Tree escaped that fate and is now part of Sequoia National Park. Its National Park Service sign names it as "The Largest Living Thing on Earth" which is easy to believe when standing next to its massive girth.

Location

Hiking through sequoias is a dizzying experience.

The General Sherman Tree is located in Sequoia National Park, California. The General Sherman trailhead is just off of Generals Highway at Wolverton Road, and the ½-mile trail is paved. Multiple other trails also lead to the General Sherman Tree and handicap accessible parking is located directly off Generals Highway. The General Sherman trail itself descends 200 feet, less than the height of the tree.

Description

Giant sequoias have surprisingly shallow roots.

The General Sherman Tree is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Sequoias only reproduce through seed, and this particular tree started growing 2,000 years ago. Giant sequoias are more cold-hardy than their cousins, the coast redwoods, and the giant sequoias' foliage is bushier. The gray-green scaled leaves are prickly, and they have extensive, shallow root systems that require adequate soil moisture. In harsh weather, the giant sequoia drops branches; in the winter of 2006 the General Sherman Tree dropped a large branch that demolished a section of fencing and damaged the walkway. Mature giant sequoias have bare trunks for much of their length and the General Sherman Tree's first branch begins 130 feet from the ground.

History

John Muir, an early naturalist, explored California's mountains on foot.

Sequoia National Park is the second national park, Yellowstone being the first. The first park superintendents were federal military men acting under the War Department. These early captains of Sequoia National Park named many trees after generals and past presidents of the United States, but an early settler named Jim Wolverton christened the General Sherman Tree in 1879. Wolverton served under General Tecumseh Sherman in the Civil War and later moved out west to work with Hale Tharp, the first recorded white settler in the area, according to the Sequoia National History Association. Along with John Muir, the three explored the Giant's Forest area of Sequoia National Park, where the General Sherman Tree is located.

Size

The National Park Service lists the General Sherman Tree as 274.9 feet tall and 102.6 feet in circumference at its widest point. It is not the tallest tree, or the widest, but in sheer volume it is the largest tree in the world. Its trunk consists of 52,500 square feet of wood. When calculating a tree's size, researchers only determine the conical volume of the trunk, and do not include the branches or crown.

Growth Rate

Giant sequoias do not stop growing.

The General Sherman Tree is still growing and, according to the California State Park's website, "has added enough wood each year to construct a five or six room house." With this growth rate, the General Sherman Tree will continue to be the world's largest known tree.

References

• Redwoods: Giant Sequoias in California
• National Parks Service: Sequoia and Kings Canyon: Giant Forest Points of Interest: Summer
• Nation Master: Encyclopedia: General Sherman (tree)
• California State Parks: Big Tree Life Cycle: Growth and Development
• Challenge of the Big Trees: Exploration and Exploitation