Sequoia Groves

Facial

Facial

Valued Senior Member
Ever since I was little I had a fascination with big trees. The size of the Sequoia never fail to impress me. A list of known groves appears in the following list:

http://www.sierranevadaphotos.com/geography/giant_sequoia/sequoia_groves_list.asp

The list dates from 1994. So in the 12 years since, there's probably been a lot more done on the comprehensive details of the large trees, so I was brought down for a while. But...

apparently, there have been new discoveries on its close relative, the Coast Redwood, inside a national park:

http://www.nativetreesociety.org/bigtree/new_worlds_tallest.htm

So I was wondering if there are unexplored areas, or unmeasured big trees, that are larger than General Sherman. What is your opinion on this?

If I should go adventure-mongering sometime in the Sierras, where should I look? Converse Basin? Redwood Mountain grove? Or some other less-known grove? And where can I buy large tape measures?
 
These guys found their trees in Redwood National Park in my neck of the woods, Humboldt County, which is on the western side of the Coast Range.

I should think you'd be able to by a large measuring tape from the businesses that supply the timber industry. Google the hardware stores in places like Fortuna, Eureka and Redding. It may take some sleuthing but they'll probably point you in the right direction. Pierson's is the biggest one in Eureka. There's a Home Depot in Redding. They certainly won't carry it but they may have the most knowledgeable people to ask.

If you've never been to true northern California, the North Coast, you'll probably enjoy discovering it. We're as far from San Francisco geographically as Los Angeles is (300 miles), and much further culturally. Eureka is the biggest city between Eugene and Santa Rosa, with a population of 28,000. And about a 250 mile stretch of redwoods. We have our own five acre patch of 'em.
 
Last edited:
You don't need to buy a 100 foot measuring tape (which run about 10 bucks); you can just use a piece of string or rope, wrap it around the trunk, and then divide its length by 3.14 to get the diameter of the trunk.

100 foot measuring tapes are also used in track and field, and other sports, so if the hardware store doesn't have them, check with sporting goods stores.
 
Checking out the top ten list, it seems hardly plausible that a big tree can surpass General Grant or General Sherman in size. Maybe I should give up on Giant Sequoias, and measure redwoods instead.
 
The sequoias are in the southern part of the state that gets zillions of tourists. If there's a big tree that hasn't yet been seen by human eyes, it's far more likely to be a redwood up in the northern part.
 
That's what I seem to be thinking ... I have the impression that there are far more large redwoods in terms of population than large sequoias. So it seems likely that there may be an even taller discovery for a redwood sometime later, whilst General Sherman has not been surpassed for nearly a century.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top