General Sherman Tree: Difference between revisions
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The '''General Sherman Tree''' is a giant sequoia (''[[Sequoiadendron giganteum]]'') tree in the [[Giant Forest]] of [[Sequoia National Park]] in [[Tulare County, California|Tulare County]], [[California]]. By volume, it is the [[List of largest giant sequoias|largest known living single-stem tree]] on Earth.<ref name="NPS-1997">{{Cite web |date=March 27, 1997 |title=The General Sherman Tree |url= | The '''General Sherman Tree''' is a giant sequoia (''[[Sequoiadendron giganteum]]'') tree in the [[Giant Forest]] of [[Sequoia National Park]] in [[Tulare County, California|Tulare County]], [[California]]. By volume, it is the [[List of largest giant sequoias|largest known living single-stem tree]] on Earth.<ref name="NPS-1997">{{Cite web |date=March 27, 1997 |title=The General Sherman Tree |url=https://www.nps.gov/seki/learn/nature/sherman.htm |access-date=August 12, 2011 |website=Sequoia National Park |publisher=U.S. National Park Service}}</ref> | ||
==History== | ==History== | ||
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In 1931, following comparisons with the nearby [[General Grant Tree]], General Sherman was identified as the largest tree in the world. One result of this process was that wood volume became widely accepted as the standard for establishing and comparing the size of different trees.<ref name="NPS-1997" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Van Pelt |first=Robert |title=The Trees |url=http://www.forestgiants.com/thetrees4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711020054/http://www.forestgiants.com/thetrees4.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |website=Forest Giants}}</ref> | In 1931, following comparisons with the nearby [[General Grant Tree]], General Sherman was identified as the largest tree in the world. One result of this process was that wood volume became widely accepted as the standard for establishing and comparing the size of different trees.<ref name="NPS-1997" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Van Pelt |first=Robert |title=The Trees |url=http://www.forestgiants.com/thetrees4.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711020054/http://www.forestgiants.com/thetrees4.htm |archive-date=July 11, 2011 |website=Forest Giants}}</ref> | ||
In January 2006, the largest branch on the tree (seen most commonly, in older photos, as an "L" or golf-club shape, protruding from about a quarter of the way down the trunk) broke off. There were no witnesses to the incident, and the branch{{mdashb}}with a diameter of over {{cvt|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} and a length of over {{convert|30|m|ft}}, larger than most tree trunks{{mdashb}}smashed part of the perimeter fence and cratered the pavement of the surrounding walkway. The breakage is not believed to be indicative of any abnormalities in the tree's health and may even be a natural defense mechanism against adverse weather conditions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tweed |first=William |date=February 7, 2006 |title=Sequoias designed to last a couple of thousand years |url=http://www.iatp.org/news/sequoias-designed-to-last-a-couple-of-thousand-years-ca |publisher=[[Visalia Times Delta]]}}</ref> | In January 2006, the largest branch on the tree (seen most commonly, in older photos, as an "L" or golf-club shape, protruding from about a quarter of the way down the trunk) broke off. There were no witnesses to the incident, and the branch{{mdashb}}with a diameter of over {{cvt|2|m|ft|abbr=on}} and a length of over {{convert|30|m|ft|abbr=on}}, larger than most tree trunks{{mdashb}}smashed part of the perimeter fence and cratered the pavement of the surrounding walkway. The breakage is not believed to be indicative of any abnormalities in the tree's health and may even be a natural defense mechanism against adverse weather conditions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Tweed |first=William |date=February 7, 2006 |title=Sequoias designed to last a couple of thousand years |url=http://www.iatp.org/news/sequoias-designed-to-last-a-couple-of-thousand-years-ca |publisher=[[Visalia Times Delta]]}}</ref> | ||
[[File:General Sherman with fire protection wrap.jpg|thumb|alt=Six firefighters clad in yellow gear place sheets of silver foil around the tree's base, slightly above the height of their heads.|Firefighters and park personnel wrap General Sherman in fire shelter material to help protect it from the [[KNP Complex Fire]].]] | [[File:General Sherman with fire protection wrap.jpg|thumb|alt=Six firefighters clad in yellow gear place sheets of silver foil around the tree's base, slightly above the height of their heads.|Firefighters and park personnel wrap General Sherman in fire shelter material to help protect it from the [[KNP Complex Fire]].]] | ||
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==Dimensions== | ==Dimensions== | ||
While it is the largest tree known, the General Sherman tree is neither the tallest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to [[Hyperion (tree)|Hyperion]], a [[Sequoia sempervirens|coast redwood]]),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earle |first=CJ |year=2011 |title=Sequoia sempervirens |url=http://www.conifers.org/cu/se/index.htm |access-date=August 12, 2011 |website=The Gymnosperm Database}}</ref> nor is it the widest (both the largest [[cypress]] and largest [[baobab]] have a greater diameter), nor is it the oldest known living tree on Earth ([[List of oldest trees|that distinction]] belongs to [[Prometheus (tree)|Prometheus]], a [[Pinus longaeva|Great Basin bristlecone pine]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earle |first=CJ |year=2011 |title=Pinus longaeva |url=http://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_longaeva.php |access-date=August 13, 2011 |website=The Gymnosperm Database}}</ref> With a height of {{cvt|83.8|m|ft|0|sp=us}}, a diameter of {{cvt|7.7|m|ft|0}}, an estimated [[Trunk (botany)|bole]] volume of {{convert|1487|m3|ft3|0}}, and an estimated age of 2,300{{ndash}}2,700 years,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stephenson |first=N.L. |date=January 2002 |title=Estimated Ages of Some Large Giant Sequoias: General Sherman Keeps Getting Younger |url=http://sierranaturenotes.com/naturenotes/SequoiaAges.htm |url-status=dead |journal=Nature Notes |publisher=Yosemite Association |volume=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323130546/http://sierranaturenotes.com/naturenotes/SequoiaAges.htm |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |access-date=May 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Glen |date=September 7, 2006 |title=World's tallest trees |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/07/MNGQRL0TDV1.DTL |access-date=January 29, 2009 |work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Records, Guinness World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yixctMoUFRsC&q=guinness+records&pg=PA10 |title=Guinness World Record 2008, World's Tallest Tree |publisher=Guinness World Records |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-904994-19-0 |access-date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> it is nevertheless among the tallest, widest, and [[List of oldest trees|longest-lived]] of all trees on the planet. | While it is the largest tree known, the General Sherman tree is neither the tallest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to [[Hyperion (tree)|Hyperion]], a [[Sequoia sempervirens|coast redwood]]),<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earle |first=CJ |year=2011 |title=Sequoia sempervirens |url=http://www.conifers.org/cu/se/index.htm |access-date=August 12, 2011 |website=The Gymnosperm Database}}</ref> nor is it the widest (both the largest [[cypress]] and largest [[baobab]] have a greater diameter), nor is it the oldest known living tree on Earth ([[List of oldest trees|that distinction]] belongs to [[Prometheus (tree)|Prometheus]], a [[Pinus longaeva|Great Basin bristlecone pine]]).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Earle |first=CJ |year=2011 |title=Pinus longaeva |url=http://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_longaeva.php |access-date=August 13, 2011 |website=The Gymnosperm Database}}</ref> With a height of {{cvt|83.8|m|ft|0|sp=us}}, a diameter of {{cvt|7.7|m|ft|0}}, an estimated [[Trunk (botany)|bole]] volume of {{convert|1487|m3|ft3|0|sp=us}}, and an estimated age of 2,300{{ndash}}2,700 years,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Stephenson |first=N.L. |date=January 2002 |title=Estimated Ages of Some Large Giant Sequoias: General Sherman Keeps Getting Younger |url=http://sierranaturenotes.com/naturenotes/SequoiaAges.htm |url-status=dead |journal=Nature Notes |publisher=Yosemite Association |volume=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323130546/http://sierranaturenotes.com/naturenotes/SequoiaAges.htm |archive-date=March 23, 2012 |access-date=May 3, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Martin |first=Glen |date=September 7, 2006 |title=World's tallest trees |url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/09/07/MNGQRL0TDV1.DTL |access-date=January 29, 2009 |work=The San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Records, Guinness World |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yixctMoUFRsC&q=guinness+records&pg=PA10 |title=Guinness World Record 2008, World's Tallest Tree |publisher=Guinness World Records |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-904994-19-0 |access-date=January 29, 2009}}</ref> it is nevertheless among the tallest, widest, and [[List of oldest trees|longest-lived]] of all trees on the planet. | ||
While General Sherman is the largest | While General Sherman is the largest living tree, it is not the largest historically recorded tree. The Crannell Creek Giant, a coast redwood (''[[Sequoia sempervirens]]'') cut down in the mid-1940s near [[Trinidad, California]], is estimated to have been 15–25% larger than the General Sherman Tree by volume. Similarly, the [[Mother of the Forest]], another giant sequoia, may have historically been larger than General Sherman. Two other historical and exceedingly enormous giant sequoias, the [[Discovery Tree]] with a near-{{convert|30|m|ft|sp=us}} circumference,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Placer Herald 9 July 1853 — California Digital Newspaper Collection |url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=PH18530709.2.8&srpos=1&e=------185-en--20--1--txt-txIN-%22captain+hanford%22+-------1}}</ref> and especially the long-fallen "Father of the Forest" from [[Calaveras Grove]], reportedly {{convert|435|ft|m}} high and {{convert|110|ft|m}} in circumference,<ref>{{Cite web |date=January 1902 |title="Father of the Forest", a Giant of Giants--fallen centuries ago--originally 435 ft. High, 110 ft. Cir., Calaveras Grove, Cal |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/2018645419/ |website=[[Library of Congress]]}}</ref> are widely considered to have once been larger than General Sherman. In addition, the Burnt Monarch from [[Big Stump Grove]] had a much larger base than General Sherman and could have easily been larger as well.<ref>Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast. Van Pelt, 2001</ref> | ||
{| class="wikitable" | {| class="wikitable" | ||
Latest revision as of 18:59, 19 August 2025
Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox tree The General Sherman Tree is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) tree in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California. By volume, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth.[1]
History
The General Sherman Tree was named after the American Civil War general William Tecumseh Sherman. The official story, which may be apocryphal, claims the tree was named in 1879 by naturalist James Wolverton, who had served as a lieutenant in the 9th Indiana Cavalry under Sherman.[2]
Seven years later, in 1886, the land came under the control of the Kaweah Colony, a utopian socialist community whose economy was based on logging. Noting the pivotal role that Sherman had played in the Indian Wars and his forced relocation of native American tribes, they renamed the tree in honor of Karl Marx.[3] However, the community was disbanded in 1892, primarily as a result of the establishment of Sequoia National Park, and the tree reverted to its previous name.
In 1931, following comparisons with the nearby General Grant Tree, General Sherman was identified as the largest tree in the world. One result of this process was that wood volume became widely accepted as the standard for establishing and comparing the size of different trees.[1][4]
In January 2006, the largest branch on the tree (seen most commonly, in older photos, as an "L" or golf-club shape, protruding from about a quarter of the way down the trunk) broke off. There were no witnesses to the incident, and the branchTemplate:Mdashbwith a diameter of over Template:Cvt and a length of over Script error: No such module "convert"., larger than most tree trunksTemplate:Mdashbsmashed part of the perimeter fence and cratered the pavement of the surrounding walkway. The breakage is not believed to be indicative of any abnormalities in the tree's health and may even be a natural defense mechanism against adverse weather conditions.[5]
On SeptemberScript error: No such module "String".16, 2021, the tree was threatened by the KNP Complex Fire in Sequoia National Park. Park and firefighting personnel wrapped the tree's base in a protective foil usually used on structures in case the wildfire approached the General Sherman TreeTemplate:Mdashbwhich, in the end, was left unharmed.[6][7]
Dimensions
While it is the largest tree known, the General Sherman tree is neither the tallest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to Hyperion, a coast redwood),[8] nor is it the widest (both the largest cypress and largest baobab have a greater diameter), nor is it the oldest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to Prometheus, a Great Basin bristlecone pine).[9] With a height of Template:Cvt, a diameter of Template:Cvt, an estimated bole volume of Script error: No such module "convert"., and an estimated age of 2,300Template:Ndash2,700 years,[10][11][12] it is nevertheless among the tallest, widest, and longest-lived of all trees on the planet.
While General Sherman is the largest living tree, it is not the largest historically recorded tree. The Crannell Creek Giant, a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) cut down in the mid-1940s near Trinidad, California, is estimated to have been 15–25% larger than the General Sherman Tree by volume. Similarly, the Mother of the Forest, another giant sequoia, may have historically been larger than General Sherman. Two other historical and exceedingly enormous giant sequoias, the Discovery Tree with a near-Script error: No such module "convert". circumference,[13] and especially the long-fallen "Father of the Forest" from Calaveras Grove, reportedly Script error: No such module "convert". high and Script error: No such module "convert". in circumference,[14] are widely considered to have once been larger than General Sherman. In addition, the Burnt Monarch from Big Stump Grove had a much larger base than General Sherman and could have easily been larger as well.[15]
| Measurement | Imperial units | SI units |
|---|---|---|
| Height above base[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Circumference at ground[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Maximum diameter at base[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Diameter Template:Cvt above base[16] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Diameter Template:Cvt above base[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Diameter Template:Cvt above base[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Diameter of largest branch[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Height of first large branch above the base[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Average crown spread[1] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Estimated bole volume[16] | Script error: No such module "convert". | |
| Estimated mass (wet) (1938)[17] | Template:Cvt | |
| Estimated bole mass (1938)[17] | Script error: No such module "convert". |
See also
- List of largest giant sequoias
- List of superlative trees
- List of individual trees
- List of oldest trees
- National Register of Big Trees
References
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- ↑ Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast. Van Pelt, 2001
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External links
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- "What is the largest tree in the world?" Video of a park ranger at Sequoia National Park explaining details about the General Sherman Tree
- Norton, Marc. "The Karl Marx Tree: How Southern Pacific Railroad killed a socialist colony in the name of creating Yosemite National Park", Red Hills, August 27, 2014.