Giant sequoia

The Giant Sequoia or Giant Redwood, Sequoiadendron giganteum, one ofnumberspeciesgymnosperm tree known as redwoods, classified inFamily Cupressaceae (inpartthis family formerly segregated as Taxodiaceae). Even though these treesamongtallest inworldhave some ofsmallest cones. These cones can only germinatemineral soilspossibly only soils derived from metamorphic rock. Periodic fire, large amountswater, andclimatic conditions that exist at 5-8 thousand feetvital conditionssequoia. Without fire shade-loving species will crowd out young sequoiasequoia seeds will not germinate. When full grown, these trees typically require several hundrednearlythousand gallonswater andtherefore often concentrated near drainage areas.

Giant Sequoias growan average height250275 feet (76-84 m) and 1520 feet (5-7 m)diameter. Record trees have been reportedbe 310 feet (95 m)height35 feet (11 m)diameter. The leaves are awl-shapedseed cones23 inches (5-8 cm) longmay remain green up20 years.

Sequoia barkfibrous, furrowed,may be 2 feet (0.6 m) thick atbase ofcolumnar trunk . The oldest known Giant Sequoia based on ring count3,200 years old.

Giant Sequoia regenerates primarily by seed, although occasionally it may reproduce naturally by vegetative methods. Giant Sequoias up to about 20 yearsage may produce stump sprouts subsequentinjury.

Giant Sequoiaall ages may sprout frombole when old branches are lostfire or breakage. Young trees startbear cones at the age20 years. Cones may remain attached totree812 yearsmuch ofseed will be retained. Duringlate summer, however, some seedshed whencone scales shrink. Most seeds are liberated whencone drys outbecomes detached. Each cone yields an average230 seeds.

At any given time,large tree may be expectedhave approximately 11,000 cones. The upper part ofcrownany mature Giant Sequoia invariably producesgreater abundancecones than its lower portions. A mature Giant Sequoia has been estimateddisperse from 300,000400,000 seeds per year. The winged seeds may be carried up600 feet (183 m) from the parent tree.

Giant Sequoia isworld's largest treetermstotal volume. Lower branches die fairly readily from shading, but trees less than 100 years old retain mosttheir dead branches. Bolesmature trees generallyfreebranches toheight98148 feet (30-40 m).

Giant Sequoiafound inhumid climate characterized by dry summers. Most Giant Sequoia groveson granitic-based residualalluvial soils. The elevation ofGiant Sequoia groves generally ranges from 4,5906,560 feet (1,400-2,000 m) innorth,5,5807,050 (1,700-2,150 m) tosouth. Giant Sequoia generally appears on southern slopesits northern distributionon more northerly slopes insouth.

The natural distributionGiant Sequoiarestrictedabout 75 groves, comprisingtotal areaonly 35,607 acres (14,416 ha) along a limited area ofwestern Sierra Nevada, California. The northern two-thirdsits range, fromAmerican RiverPlacer County southward toKings River has only eight disjunct groves.

The remaining grovesconcentrated betweenKings River andDeer Creek Grovesouthern Tulare County. Groves rangesize from approximately 2,470 acres (1,000 ha)20,000 giant sequioassmall grovesonly six living trees.

Giant Sequoia principally occursscattered groves. Nowhere does it growpure stands, although infew small areas stands do approach a pure condition . High levelsreproductionnot necessarymaintainpresent population levels. Few groves, however, have sufficient young treesmaintainpresent densitymature Giant Sequoias forfuture. The majorityGiant Sequoiascurrently undergoinggradual decline in density sinceEuropean settlement days.

The Giant Sequoiashaving difficulty reproducing. Sequoia seeds germinategrow bestopen mineral soilsminimal forest litter. Such soilsproduced by low-intensity ground fires. Furthermore, Giant Sequoiamore likelyrelease seeds duehot air caused byfire. Duefire suppression effortslivestock grazing during20th Century, low-intensity fires do not naturally occur. class="external">[1

ListingLargest Giant Sequoia

AsDecember 2002,10 largest sequoia (by volume) are:

Tree Name	Location	Height (feet)	Circumference (feet)	Volume (cubic feet)
General Sherman	Giant Forest	274.9	102.6	52,508
Washington	Giant Forest	254.7	101.1	47,850
General Grant	Giant Grove	268.1	107.5	46,608
President	Giant Forest	240.9	93.0	45,148
Lincoln	Giant Forest	255.8	98.3	44,471
Stagg	Alder Creek	243.0	109.0	42,557
Boole	Converse Basin	268.8	113.0	42,472
Genesis	Mountain Home	253.0	85.3	41,897
Franklin	Giant Forest	223.8	94.8	41,280
King Arthur	Garfield	270.3	104.2	40,656

Source: US National Park Service -- [1]

External Link

• Forest Service database entry on Sequoiadendron giganteum