Sierra Nevada Mountains - The Giant Sequoia                                   timberlinetrails.net
Photo by David French
NEXT Photo >>>

Goto Sierra Nevada
Home Page

The Giant
Sequoia -
is truly
one of the living
wonders of this world.
Reaching heights of
over 275 feet, and
diameters of over 27
feet, they are the
largest living things on
earth. If you look
carefully you can see
the figure of a person
on the left side of the
photo that will give you
a sense of scale and
size of these giants.
The Sequoia's bark can
be up to 24 inches
thick, and this makes
them very resistant to
fire. They can also
reach ages of over
3,000 years old making
them one of the oldest
living things also.
These massive trees grow at elevations from 4,600-7,000 feet, and only in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Sequoia National Park contains some of
the best groves to be found anywhere in the Sierra Mountains. The greatest known Sequoia is the General Sherman Tree. At 3,200 years old, a
height of 275 ft, and a diameter of 27.5 feet, it is the largest living specimen that we have with us today. In the past, when it was legal to cut down
one of these giants, it was reported that a whole community of homes could be built with the wood provided by just one tree.
Today....fortunately.....these wonders are fully protected.