Where the tallest sequoia in the world grows. The giant evergreen sequoia is the largest tree in the world. See what "sequoia" is in other dictionaries

Sequoia(lat. sequoia) - a genus of trees of the Cypress family, growing on the Pacific coast of North America. We all heard about redwoods more than once, both in nature studies classes at school and on TV. But what these huge trees actually look like and where they grow, few people imagine. No less surprising is the fact that there are also different types of sequoias. We first saw these amazing giants during our self-guided tour. It turns out that the sequoia tree is also a symbol of the state of California. And in this article we will introduce you to these largest trees in the world (not to be confused with baobabs!).

Sequoia species

Sequoias are evergreen trees belonging to the cypress family. We've already seen it when we drove the 17 Mile Road. There are three types of sequoia trees known worldwide, two of which grow in the United States:

• coastal sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens) - grows on the coast of California in the USA;
• giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) - common in the Sierra Nevada region;
• metasequoia (Metasequoia) grows in China.

And only the giant sequoiadendron is widely known in the world under the name sequoia. Coastal is called redwood, or redwood (Redwood). It is these two species that are the largest trees in the world. The coastal sequoia is the tallest tree, and the giant sequoia is the most voluminous. The Chinese metasequoia is not surprising at all with its size.

High sequoia in the photo

Characteristics of sequoia tree species:

Sequoia Redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens)

Wood redwood found only on the Pacific Coast in Northern California and Oregon. Nowhere else in the world is this species (Evergreen Sequoia, Red Sequoia) does not grow. Redwood is considered to be tallest tree in the world on planet Earth and reaches a height of 115 meters. About 50 currently growing redwoods have a height of more than 100 meters. The thickness of the trunk reaches 6.5 meters. There are specimens of redwood sequoia aged from 1500 to 2000 years.

Durable yet soft redwood redwood bark

Sequoiadendron giant ( Sequoiadendron giganteum)

Another type of sequoia is sequoiadendron giant(also known as the Giant Sequoia, Wellingtnia or Mammoth Tree), growing in the western part of the Sierra Nevada in California, at an altitude of 1500-2000 meters. This type of tree got its name because of its gigantic size. And although the height of their tallest trees does not exceed 95 meters, the thickness of the trunk can reach 12 meters. The oldest representative of the growing today has an age of about 3200 years. Currently, only about 30 groves of giant sequoias have survived.

Interesting fact. According to some reports, the breeding season of the giant sequoia begins when it reaches the age of about 400 years. A mandatory concomitant factor in order for the sequoia to give offspring is high temperature. Here's what we know about wildfires and their benefits to redwoods:

• Forest fires do not cause significant damage to mature trees;
• Sequoia bark, which, like a sponge, absorbs moisture from the air, is quite resistant to fire;
• However, the heat generated by burning the forest floor is best for opening the buds and dropping sequoia seeds to the ground and germinating in soil saturated with minerals after burning;
• In addition, the forest, thinned by fire, allows sunlight to break through the dense crown of trees and creates conditions for the growth of young redwoods.

Watch a video about giant sequoias and their dependence on forest fires:

Metasequoia ( Metasequoia)

But there is another type of sequoia in the world - Metasequoia glyptostrobe, which grows in the provinces of Wubei and Sichuan in China, but these trees are quite normal in size. This species of sequoia is on the verge of extinction and is listed in the Red Book. They are very rare, and only on the slopes of mountains in remote areas of the Chinese provinces. That is, the ordinary tourist is not available. But American sequoias - redwood and giant can be seen both from the car window, and take a walk along the forest paths in a grove among majestic trees.

When we traveled around the USA by car during our course, we spent a lot of time getting to know the largest trees in the world. So, let's figure out where to go if you have a desire to get acquainted with coastal and giant sequoias in the USA.

Curious fact

The thickness of the trunk of a giant sequoia reaches 12 meters in diameter. This is enough to fit a whole house inside it or to draw a highway!

Coastal redwoods

Natural conditions in the national parks of Northern California, where does sequoia grow are ideal for these giant trees. Redwood can be seen in the following US parks and conservation areas:

• (Redwood national and state parks) includes several state parks, which can be accessed for a fee. If you are on the highway and just going north, then you do not need to pay for it. And if you leave the highway to take a walk, then an annual subscription to national parks (Annual pass) is valid throughout the territory, except for state parks - Del Norte Coastal Redwood State Park and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park - where you have to pay separately.
• Muir National Monument (Muir wood National Monument) near San Francisco. There is an annual pass to the national parks.
• If you are traveling in California by car from San Francisco to the north, you can also drop by Humboldt State Park (Humboldt Redwoods state park) and on Avenue of the Giants (Avenue of the giants), the fee is separate. There you can drive your car through a tree for $5 ( Shrine Drive-thru tree).

Sequoias are the tallest trees in the world

redwood highway

Highway 101 is even called "Redwood Highway" (redwood road) in honor of its main attraction. You can just drive along the highway and admire the sequoias growing on its sides. And here redwood grows without the protection of national parks. And knowledgeable people will go not only along the 101 road, but also along, which also has a proud name redwood highway. And as it seemed to me personally, here the trees are more beautiful, and the track is prettier. And it is even more pleasant that you are driving, and the sequoias themselves are growing around, which even becomes inconvenient that people have cut a road in the rock and disturbed the tranquility of nature. So, Redwood Highway is:

• route 101 in Northern California from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to Crescent City;
• running parallel to it Avenue of the Giants in the Humboldt State Park area;
• route 199 in Oregon.

Map of Humboldt Park (Avenue of the Giants)

giant sequoias

The giant sequoia grows in the US state of California in the Sierra Nevada mountains, and to admire these trees you can visit three national parks:

• (giant forest) in Sequoia National Park ( sequoia national park). The entire park consists of giant sequoia trees, and tourists are especially fond of the famous tree, to which a whole line is lined up. It is the largest and heaviest tree in the world. Its height is 84 meters, the circumference of the trunk at the ground exceeds 31 meters, the volume is about 1500 m 3, and the mass is estimated at 1900 tons!
• General Grant Grove (Grant Grove) in Kings Canyon National Park ( kings canyon national park) - this small area is located next to Sequoia Park and is easily accessible, unlike the rest of Kings Canyon.
• Mariposa Grove (Mariposa Grove) in Yosemite National Park ( Yosemite national park). Here the giant sequoias are presented in all their splendor!

Where does the sequoia grow?

Sequoia trees grow on. And when we traveled by car through the national parks of America, we visited several parks in the state of California, where we saw coastal and giant sequoias in all their glory:

• Redwood National Park about which they wrote. This is the place where coastal redwoods grow in their most natural environment;
• We rode with great pleasure in both California and Oregon;
• As for the giant sequoia, we visited all three places where they grow: in the park, in Kings Canyon and in;
• But we didn't get into humbolt park, because in the evening they were in a hurry to come to Yurika and swept along the highway with a breeze and did not stop at the Avenue of the Giants. Nevertheless, the evening drive turned out to be very inspiring, and we took many photos from the car window. You can see them in a post about the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Cape Point Reyes and.

Redwoods with a tunnel in the trunk for cars and pedestrians

In January 2017, it became known that the most famous sequoia with a tunnel in the trunk— Pioneer Cabin Tree. This giant sequoia in the US became famous for having a tunnel in the trunk that a car could drive through. A tree that was growing in Calaveras Big Trees State Park was downed by a violent storm, making worldwide news and sparking an unprecedented interest in sequoias.

The tunnel at the base of this giant sequoia was originally built in the late 1980s at the request of the owner of the Murphys Hotel. It was a tourist attraction, because it was incredibly interesting for people of that time to pass and even drive through the trunk, and then tell all their friends about it. So more and more people learned about this interesting place and they increasingly came to the park and stayed at the hotel.

It was this tree that was chosen for cutting the tunnel due to the fact that it already had a huge scar after a forest fire. In fairness, it must be said that the idea of ​​​​the tunnel was not new and, according to the idea of ​​​​the hotel owner, this sequoia tree was supposed to compete with the already well-known Wavon tree in Yosemite's Wawona Tree in the United States, in which the tunnel was made much earlier, in 1881, in order to attract as many visitors to the park as possible. And although the Wawona sequoia in the Mariposa Grove stood much less (only until February 1969), some older Americans still remember the car tunnel in it.

Interesting fact: The sequoia with the tunnel felled on January 8, 2017 was not the only one in California. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, it was very fashionable in the western United States to make such tunnels in giant trees in order to attract everyone's attention and develop automobile tourism. After all, through it it was possible not only to walk or ride a bicycle, but also to drive inside the sequoia by car. However, this trend caused irreparable damage to nature and was quickly stopped.

More than a century has passed since then, and almost all the trees with car tunnels have collapsed. The Pioneer Cabin Tree giant sequoia was the last such tree of its kind, and now it too has fallen. However, you can still see a couple of giant sequoias with a tunnel for pedestrians on the West Coast of the United States and three coastal sequoias with car tunnels.

Tunnels in giant sequoias:

• California Tunnel Tree in Mariposa Grove (Yosemite National Park). The tunnel was made in 1895 in such a way that a horse-drawn carriage could pass through this giant sequoia. Today, the tunnel can only be walked or cycled through.
• Dead Tunnel Tree in Tulumne Grove, also in Yosemite National Park. It was the very first growing giant sequoia to be tunneled through (earlier tunnels were already made in fallen tree trunks).

Tunnels for cars in coastal redwoods:

• Chandelier Tree(The Chandelier Tree) is the most famous tunnel tree in the United States and is located in Drive-Thru Tree Park in Leggett, California, USA. Its height is 96 meters. The tunnel was made in the late 30s of the XX century, its width is 1.8 m and the height is 2.06 m. Anyone can drive through the sequoia in a car and take a photo of their car inside the tree for 5 US dollars. See the website for all details and directions.
• Two other coastal redwoods with tunnels grow along US 101 in northern California in Klamath(Klamath) and Myers Flat(Myers Flat).

Sequoia on the USA map

Legend:

• blue color - coastal sequoia (redwood) grows here
• orange color - places where you can see giant sequoias
• purple - attractions in redwood parks - beautiful coastlines, lagoons, places for watching deer or whales

Come and admire the biggest trees in the world!

Together with the giant sequoiadendron, it belongs to the highest trees on the planet (they reach a height of over 100 m and a trunk diameter of 8.5-9 m. An evergreen coniferous tree of the Taxodiaceae family. A monotypic genus represented by a single species. Named in honor of Sequoia (1770 - 1843) - an Indian leader Cherokee tribe, inventor of the Cherokee syllabary.

Fossils found give an idea that giant sequoias existed in the Jurassic and were widespread throughout the northern hemisphere at the end of the Cretaceous and in the Tertiary period. The remains of forests with their participation, which once occupied vast areas, are now preserved only in a limited area of ​​western North America. One hundred and fifty million years ago, these trees grew all over the continent.

Sequoia sempervirens general view of a mature tree

Sequoia forests were first discovered by Europeans on the Pacific coast in 1769. By the arrival of lumberjacks in the 19th century, they covered an area of ​​8,000 sq. km. By the beginning of the 20th century, most of these forests had been cut down. Now they can only be found in California and Southern Oregon.

Description: The sequoia is probably the tallest tree on earth, except for references to the unusually tall eucalyptus trees in Western Australia, and mention of Douglas pseudo-hemlock (Pseudotsuga menziesii) in historical times, reaching more than 120 m, which were higher than any redwoods. It is likely that the tallest coast sequoias were the first victims of the axe, so it is difficult to say what the tallest tree of this species was in early historical time.

Sequoia sempervirens "Hyperion"

Today, the tallest sequoia, named "Hyperion", was discovered in the summer of 2006 in Redwood National Park north of San Francisco. The tree reached a height of 115.5 meters. Most of the trees are over 60 m in height, many are over 90 m with a trunk diameter of 3-4.6 m (maximum 9 m).

The second place in height after the sequoia is Douglasia or Pseudotsuga Menzies . The tallest living pseudo-hemzies of Menzies reaches 99.4 m in height. A related species - does not reach a height of more than 100 m, it is somewhat shorter and has a thicker trunk than a sequoia.

Sequoia sempervirens - young tree

Sequoia crown dense and wide at a young age, later open, irregular narrow-conical, formed by branches growing horizontally or with a slight downward slope. The root system consists of shallow, widely spread lateral roots. The trunk is enclosed in a thick, fibrous, relatively soft, incombustible bark. When you touch it, the palm seems to sink into the tree, creating unusual sensations. The bark is hard-fibred, deeply furrowed, red-brown in color, about 35 cm thick.

Young shoots grow slightly to the sides and up. The branches are thin, dark green. The leaf arrangement is two-row, they are flat, strongly appressed, linear or linear-lanceolate, with obvious annual growth constrictions. Leaves 15-25 mm long, elongated in young trees in the shady lower part of the crown, or scaly 5-10 mm long in the top of the crown of old trees.

Sequoia sempervirens - flowering cone

It dusts at the end of winter, the seeds ripen after 8-9 months. Anthers nearly spherical to ovoid, 2-5 mm are located singly on short terminal or axillary stems. The female cones are ovoid, oblong to spherical, 12-35 mm long, reddish-brown, composed of 15-25 spirally twisted woody scales, with many flat, are located singly at the ends of leafy branches. They are light brown, 3-6 mm in length and 0.5 mm in width, flat, lenticular, with two narrow leathery wings, spilling out when the cone dries and opens. Seedlings with 2 (rarely 4) cotyledons.

Sequoia sempervirens - young female cones

Ecology: It forms quite extensive forest areas on a narrow strip of the Pacific coast in the USA, from Southwestern Oregon to the Santa Lucia Range in California (at an altitude of 600-900 m), on a strip about 750 km long and 8 to 75 km wide. Sometimes trees grow near the shore, sometimes they climb to a height of up to 920 m. Sequoia loves the humidity that the sea air brings with it, so its distribution is limited to coastal areas (within 60 km from the sea) in a zone of heavy fog.

Sequoia sempervirens - male cones

The breed has an increased ability to absorb moisture from the air. The tallest and oldest trees grow in gorges and deep ravines, where currents of humid air can reach all year round. Trees growing above the fog layer (above 700 m) are shorter and smaller due to drier, windier and cooler growing conditions. Prefers well-drained, fresh alluvial soils where it forms pure stands or grows with Pseudotsuga menziesii (Pseudotsuga menziesii),Sitka spruce and (R. sitchensis and Chamaecyparis lawsoniana ).

Sequoias have impressive growth in height, young trees sometimes grow at a rate of more than 1 m per year. This property places strong competitive pressure on associated conifers. Some of the tallest and narrowest individuals have formed in the redwood grove to keep up with growth. Pseudotsuga menziesii and Sitka spruce (R.itchensis) reaching heights of over 90 m. Per unit area, redwood forests have the highest biomass loads of any ecosystem on Earth.

Sequoia sempervirens - young growth

This breed in nature creates a kind of forest biocenoses with rather complex animal and plant communities. Young trees branch in all directions, but with age, the lower branches fall off, and a closed canopy forms at the top. It practically does not transmit light to the ground; as a result, the undergrowth in the sequoia forest is rather poorly developed. Only ferns and other shade-loving plants can grow here, along with rare young sequoias.

Sequoia sempervirens - immature buds

An adult tree produces many seeds, but only a small part of them germinate successfully, and those that germinate are forced to fight with low light. Under natural conditions, such slow reproduction would be quite sufficient, since trees can live 3000 years, but with more active forest exploitation, young trees do not appear quickly enough to compensate for felling. In such a forest, 60 m from the ground, life is relatively impoverished.

Sequoia sempervirens - old cone

This is largely a consequence of vegetative self-reproduction after fire damage. The tree can be completely destroyed by fire, after which it quickly regenerates from a bunch of clonal stems. In some cases, a single tree can have over a hundred of these stems, essentially creating a single tree forest. The surfaces of the forks and pockets within this structure create reservoirs for water storage and enhance the biological activity of the soil, as well as providing habitat for various mammals, birds, amphibians and a huge variety of arthropods.

The list of "fun facts" includes the fact that the young growth after the fire receives carbohydrates, water and nutrients from the common network of fused roots from trees undamaged by the fire, which allows the sequoia to displace other conifers and regenerate even in deep shade under its own canopy. This also explains the appearance of the so-called "white sequoias", which do not have chlorophyll in their leaves and are completely fed by root connections with photosynthetic trees.

Sequoia is a unique combination of age, size and weight, making these trees the largest and longest-lived creatures present on planet Earth today. The giant sequoia is second in life expectancy only to the bristlecone pines that are found in the arid mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Many trees live up to 2000 years - this is a long time. The oldest known saw cut of a tree has 2267 growth rings.

The question arises, can sequoias live forever? I guess, yes. There is little evidence to support the existence of aging in these conifers, and all very old trees can live many times longer. In fact, there are longevity-determining environmental factors that age and kill trees. When a tree is resistant to these factors, or when the factors are weak, the tree can reach a respectable age of 3,000 years or more. Environmental factors is a statistical inevitability.

Sequoia sempervirens - old tree trunk

Old trees die mainly from the combined adverse effects of certain fungi, wind, fire or floods. The most common mortality in redwoods is due to stem or root rot, which leaves the tree vulnerable. Trees are prone to windblow due to the large windage of the crown with poorly developed or rot-damaged roots. The health of such trees never gets better and tends to get worse. Eventually the wind breaks or uproots the tree during a big storm. This happens especially often on swampy soils, when, due to flooding, the friction between the roots and the soil decreases.

This is one of the few trees adapted to forest fires. Fire is not terrible for a tree, but frequent fires can kill by repetition: one fire leaves a scar in the thick bark, the next one enlarges the opening, where fungi subsequently settle, which infect the core, so that eventually the tree will fall. In culture, as a result of artificial plantings of the 19th and 20th centuries, there are small groves of evergreen Sequoia and its single specimens in Europe and Asia, usually in special botanical gardens and arboretums (for example, in Belgium).

In Russia, it is found in Western Transcaucasia, in Ukraine on the southern coast of Crimea. Three fruit-bearing trees at the limit of the cultural area grow in Transcarpathia (Mukachevo, Berezinka arboretum). Cultivation possible in USDA zones 7-10 (Hardiness between -17.7°C and -12.1°C) Winter hardiness increases with age. Thus, the experiment of introduction into forest crops in Ukraine in Transcarpathia) showed the result of tolerance to lower winter temperatures. Mature 30 m trees in zone 6b / 7a in forest conditions tolerate periodic short drops to -23.2 ° C without damage.

Sequoia sempervirens - underside of leaves

In BS them. Fomina in Kyiv grows with a wide squat bush, periodically freezes strongly but grows back. For successful introduction to more northern regions, it requires lateral lighting, the most protected, with a favorable microclimate of locations, moderately moist, well-drained, permeable soils and high humidity. In general, it is not demanding on soils, does not tolerate blocking soils, and dry calcareous soils. Dwarf varieties of this species with slow growth can be tested in amateur collections in the 6th zone - in the Carpathian and Transcarpathian regions, in the south-west of Belarus, in Kaliningrad, on the coast in the Baltic countries.

Sequoia sempervirens - upper side of leaves

Reproduction and agricultural technology: This is one of the few vegetatively propagating conifers that easily regenerates with stump growth after fire damage. A peculiar consequence of this is the emergence of "white sequoias", which are non-photosynthetic coppice trees that take carbohydrates from photosynthetic associated roots with which the "white trees" have grown together. White sequoias are found only in old-growth forests, where the amount of biomass of photosynthetic sequoias is colossal, they usually do not exceed 3 meters in height. Nevertheless, there are isolated white sequoias up to 20 m in height, dressed in fresh, snow-white needles. Propagation by cuttings and seeds is similar to that of and.

Application: Biostability and durability make sequoia wood an ideal material for the manufacture of wooden pipes, gutters and trays, tanks, vats, roofing shingles, and for the exterior cladding of buildings. It is also used on racks and profile products for interior decoration. The wood is used in the production of plywood. The thick bark serves as raw material for fiber boards and filter media. Wood is valued for its beauty, strength, light weight and resistance to decay.

Commercial lumber plantings now cover large expanses of private land in northern California. Such plantings are especially cost-effective because the tree propagates easily vegetatively and immediately re-establishes roots after felling. As recently as the beginning of the century before last, sequoias were the largest trees on earth, and almost all of them (over 90% of the largest trees) were cut down in a logging frenzy, in just over a century. It all ended in the 1990s. The wood was used for construction, underwater structures, etc.

The hardest times began in 1850 with commercial demand for building timber mines, and continued until the 20th century. The deforestation of the redwoods was driven by the hype created by the California gold rush. Today, redwoods are among the most symbolically important tree species. They are revered by millions of people as an aesthetic symbol of the intangible values ​​of the greatness and power of wildlife. Sequoia and ( Sequoia Sempervirens and Sequoiadendron giganteum ) is the state tree of California.

Today, the species is well protected in nature and can be easily seen in several National Parks in California: Redwood National Park (Red Forest) and Muir Forest National Preserve. If you have never seen a grove of ancient sequoias, it is worth doing it at least once in your life. This view is one of the most beautiful sights anywhere in the world.

ld: The breed is only suitable for large parks and BS in warm temperate humid climates. Magnificent accent of the first order, planting singly or in small groups at the end of the alley or as a silhouette dominant in the background.

In contact with

Here is the definition of this tree can be found in Wikipedia:

General Sherman- a copy of the giant sequoiadendron ( Sequoiadendron giganteum) growing in the "Giant Forest" of the Sequoia National Park in California, USA. In terms of volume, it is the largest tree on Earth. The height of the General Sherman tree is 83.8 m, the volume of the trunk is estimated at 1487 m³, the weight is 1900 tons, and the age is 2300-2700 years.

The General Sherman tree is the largest and heaviest living organism on our planet. However, it is neither the tallest sequoia (this record belongs to the Hyperion tree, which belongs to the evergreen sequoia species), nor the tallest representative of sequoiadendrons (95 m high specimens are known, but they have a smaller volume). It is also known that the Crannell Creek Giant tree, cut down in the mid-1940s, Crannell Creek Giant) species evergreen sequoia, growing near the city of Trinidad, had about 15-25% more volume than General Sherman

Let's take a closer look at it...

Photo 2.

In the nineteenth century, the area where the famous tree grows, the explorer John Muir, called the "Giant Forest" when he discovered giant sequoias. The name of this part of the park, "Giant Forest", remains to this day. Many tourists describe the General Sherman tree, striking in its size, as a red-orange "stone", the top of which cannot be seen.

Tourists come to the park specifically to see the General Sherman tree, named after Civil War hero General William Sherman, and take pictures. Next to the sequoia, they seem so fragile and small.

Photo 3.

For a long time it was believed that General Sherman's tree was over three thousand years old, but recent studies have determined its exact age - exactly two thousand years. So it's not the oldest tree in the world.

The oldest tree in the world, a special species of California pine, was 4,484 years old when it was cut down in 1965. Sequoias were also cut down, the age of which reached about 3000 years. It is believed that 5,000 trees still exist on Earth.

In the winter of 2006, the tree of General Sherman lost part of its crown, the largest branch of the tree fell off, the diameter of which was about two meters, and the length was about 30 meters.

Photo 4.

Scientists are worried, is the tree really dying? However, they came to the conclusion that this incident does not indicate any problems in the condition of the tree, but can only be a natural defense mechanism against adverse weather conditions.

When the branches fell to the ground, the fence around the tree and the road leading to it were destroyed. Even after this, General Sherman's tree did not lose its status as the largest tree on the planet.

A special path leads to the tree of General Sherman, and even people with disabilities can see this miracle. At the end of the path, brick tiles are laid out, which show where the roots of the tree reach.

Photo 5.

Each year, the giant's trunk grows nearly 1.5 cm in diameter. The General Sherman tree is still growing and, according to the California State Park website, annually adds enough wood to make a five or six-room house.

One of the secrets to giant sequoias' longevity is their thick, tough, fire-resistant bark. But sometimes, during the frequent fires in southern California, the tree burns through.

Photo 7.

No one can say how long a sequoia can live (and scientifically - a giant sequoia), but researchers meet trees here, whose age is estimated at 3 thousand years! (About this period in Eurasia, mankind learned to process copper and bronze).

Photo 8.

Have you ever thought about how much oxygen such a tree can give out? About 120 kg per year - this will be enough for a family of three to four people!

Photo 9.

Several numbers. The circumference of the trunk near the ground itself is 31.3 m. The crown span is 39.6 meters. The total weight of the tree is 1910 tons, the weight of the trunk is 1121 tons.

General Sherman is found in literature: in Upton Sinclair's fairy tale "Gnomobile - gnome news about gnomes", as well as in Ilf and Petrov's book "One-story America".

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(as it is also commonly called) is rightfully considered one of the largest trees in the world. Also, this long-liver is one of the many wonders of the world. This giant coniferous tree can reach a height of more than 110 meters, and its trunk is 12 meters in diameter. miracle of nature is simply unthinkable. The giant sequoia lives for over 5,000 years.

History of occurrence

To date, scientists have come to the conclusion that a tree of this breed appeared on earth as early as 140 million years ago. This is proved by the found and studied fossils and other geological deposits, on the basis of which it is possible to calculate the approximate period of the appearance of a huge natural creature on Earth.

In ancient times, the sequoia spread to the territories that today are known as France, Japan, and even the Giant Tree existed already in the Jurassic period, when the planet was inhabited by dinosaurs, and even then forests occupied vast territories in the northern hemisphere. According to experts, 50 million years ago, due to the fact that the temperature on Earth dropped dramatically, the ice age began. The giant sequoia has stopped spreading across the planet and its range has greatly decreased. After warming, these trees remained at the same stage of development and remained to grow in only one region.

The first giant sequoias were discovered by the Spaniards, who in 1769 sent an expedition to the area of ​​present-day San Francisco. Mammoth trees got their name from the linguist and botanist S. Endlifer, who was the first to call them "red trees". Initially, no one knew what to do with these huge centenarians. They were practically not exploited, this is due to the fact that strong trunks were almost impossible to knock down, since neither an ax nor a saw took them. On top of that, the wood turned out to be absolutely unsuitable for construction, as, for example, pine trees or other giant sequoias were even exterminated in 1848. By the time more than half of the trees had already been destroyed, the US authorities decided to start protecting the amazing creations of nature.

Our days

Today, natural sequoia forests are considered public property, but they have survived only on the Pacific coast of California. The mammoth tree also grows on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountains. This is the only place where the remains of amazing and beautiful forest giants are still preserved. This reserve covers an area of ​​about 670 kilometers of the coast and about 45 kilometers inland. The giant sequoia does not grow high in the mountains, because it requires high humidity. Nevertheless, the mammoth tree copes well with low temperatures, which just helped this wonder of the world to survive during the ice age.

Every year, thousands of tourists come to the United States who want to be photographed at the foot of the tree. The reserve, where the giant sequoia grows, is also popular with the Americans, who even named one such giant after the famous American commander. This giant is protected, like any other monument, and is a cultural asset throughout America. Despite the interest from scientists, it is not cut down under any pretext.

Tree "General Sherman"

The giant sequoia "General Sherman" grows in the Sierra Nevada and is considered one of the most amazing plants on earth. The height of the tree is more than 83 meters, and its trunk volume is 1486 cubic meters with a weight of more than 6000 tons. According to rough estimates, the tree is somewhere around 2700 years old, and it still continues to grow. Every year, the giant builds up as much wood as an 18-meter tree can. Scientists still continue to study the only one in the world that has seen the entire history of mankind in its lifetime.

Another famous giant

In addition to the "General Sherman" in the reserve there is another amazing tree - a giant sequoia (sequoiadendron). California, where it was cut down, still preserves the foundation of the giant. Moreover, it was also honored by becoming the unspoken symbol of the state. The tree was cut down in 1930 at the age of 1930! On its core, some sectors are combined with paint and the following is written on them:

1. 1066 - year
2. 1212 - year of signing
3. 1492 - the year of the discovery of America.
4. 1776 - the year of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.
5. 1930 is the year of felling.

Description of sequoia

The tree has a thick bark, the thickness of which is 60 cm. Wood moisture is completely free of oily substances, but tannin is contained in large quantities, making it resistant to any forest fires. Even burned trunks continue to grow further, while other conifers die after such lesions. The wood of this tree is not subject to attacks by insects, fungi, diseases and rot. Its roots grow so deep in the ground that the chance of the tree falling in a strong gust of wind is zero. The giant sequoia, whose pictures and photographs are amazing, has a pinkish bark that becomes redder closer to the core. It does not rot for a long time, withstands huge loads and therefore is excellent for a wide variety of purposes, although it is not actively used.

reproduction

An adult sequoia tree produces a huge amount of seeds, but only a tiny part of them germinate successfully, and even those that have made their way through the ground are forced to fight for their lives. The fact is that young shoots branch along their entire length, but the older they get, the more lower branches they have. Thus, the tree forms a strong dome that absolutely does not let in daylight. The giant sequoia forests do not allow anything to grow under this green canopy. Therefore, young shoots have to deal with low light, therefore it is very difficult to talk about the natural distribution of mammoth trees on earth. In the event that humanity will actively use such wood, there will be a need to create special reserves in which young trees will be grown.

On planet Earth, there is a special genus of trees that contains only one species. This monotypic genus of trees is called sequoia. Sequoias grow along the Pacific coast of North America. Sequoia evergreen or red Sequoia sempervirens), taxodium evergreen Taxodium sempervirens) is all the same tree.

These woody plants are distinguished from others by their height, the average value of which is about 90 meters, but there are also champions. Sequoia, which was called the "Father of the forests", had a maximum height. It grew in the past, unfortunately, it has not survived to our times. There is only one record holder left.

The maximum height that was recorded near the tree "Father of the Forests" is 135 meters! Today, the indicator of the maximum height of the sequoia environment belongs to the Hyperion tree, named after the titan of ancient Greek mythology.

Hyperion is an evergreen sequoia with a maximum height of 115.6 meters and is the tallest tree on Earth. You can admire them by visiting the Redwood National Park, located in the United States in northern California.

Naturalist Chris Atkinson and his assistant Michael Taylor found a particularly gigantic tree among the tallest trees, which was later named "Hyperion". It happened in the summer of 2006. In diameter, the tree is no less huge - at the level of one and a half meters, the diameter of the tree is about 5 meters! The estimated age of the giant is about 800 years.