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Sequoia National
Park |
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Famous Sequoia trees at Sequoia National Park |
| The Giant Sequoia Trees are the largest and some of the oldest living entities on the planet. Redwoods can grow higher then Sequoias. But no tree combines height and width such as the Sequoia, making its volume the largest of any living species. Sequoias can grow very old, to over 3,000 years, similar to the Redwood. Fires, insects, and diseases do not kill these trees. However, occasionally they topple over from root rot, high winds, or lighting strikes. The root system is very shallow and these giant trees have no tap root. | |
THE SENTINEL |
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CAN YOU SEE LEE AT THE
BOTTOM OF THE TREE! CAN'T GET THE WHOLE TREE IN A PHOTO! |
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| At 700 tons, the Sentinel Tree weighs more than two fully loaded jumbo jet airplanes - yet it is still just an average sequoia tree. | |
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HARDENED SNOW &
SOME TREE TRUNKS |
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THE GENERAL SHERMAN TREE |
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| The General Grant Sequoia tree is the second-tallest living thing on earth, standing over 267 feet tall with a 40 diameter and 107 circumference at its base. It is estimated to be between 1500 and 2000 years old. The General Grant Sequoia is both the Nations Christmas tree and the only living National Shrine, memorializing veterans who served in the US armed forces. | |
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The Sherman Tree's top is
dead, so the tree's trunk no longer gets taller. However, it's volume keeps increasing. it's present volume is 52.200 cubic feet and growing. |
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THERE IT IS! THE LARGEST TREE ON EARTH |
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| In front of you stands Karen Duquette and the General Sherman Tree. The tree's claim to fame as the biggest tree in the world comes from the volume of this trunk. (see the person in blue down by the trunk of the tree and how small that person looks) A few other tree trunks are bigger around. Some trees are taller. But no other tree has more wood in its trunk than the Sherman Tree. | |
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It's a matter of perspective: Looking up at the General Sherman Tree for a six-foot tall human is about the same as a mouse looking up at the six-foot human. And Karen is not anywhere near six feet tall - so take a good look at how she has to bend to see even part of the tree. |
The Sherman Tree's top is dead, so the tree's trunk no longer gets taller. However, its volume keeps increasing. Each year the trunk grows wider, adding enough wood to equal another good-sized tree. The tree's girth is 109 feet around at the ground. |
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Lee and Karen Duquette
in front of the trunk of the General Sherman Tree |
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LEE exploring
this fallen tree and the rings |
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close-ups of the bark
on several Sequoia trees |
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snow that has hardened into ice - beside a small stream of running water |
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THE SENATE GROUP |
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Photos from Three Rivers,
California was put in separate pages so that the photos will load faster for you. View these in any order that you wish. (the page you are on is grayed out and not clickable) |
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Kings
Canyon - big sequoia trees |
Sequoia National Park |
| AFTER you have visited all of the above photo sections, please continue on to Yosemite National Park |