General Grant Tree

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General Grant Tree in summer
General Grant Tree in winter

The General Grant Tree is the second largest living tree on earth. It is an approximately 1500 to 1900 year old mountain or giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) and is located in Grant Grove of Kings Canyon National Park in the US state of California . The tree was discovered in 1862 by Joseph Hardin Thomas and named in 1867 by Lucretia Baker after the Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant , who later also became the 18th President (1869–1877) of the USA . US President Calvin Coolidge declared the General Grant Tree on April 28, 1926 to be the "Nation's Christmas Tree". President Dwight D. Eisenhower declared it a National Shrine in 1956 .

Dimensions

With a trunk volume of around  1,320 cubic meters (46,608  cft ), the General Grant Tree is the second largest tree on earth after the General Sherman Tree . The Washington Tree, long held second on the size list, was cut to less than half its height by a fire in 2003 and a wind break in a series of storms in 2005.

The General Grant Tree has a height of 81.1 meters and a chest height diameter (BHD) of 885 centimeters. This makes it the second strongest giant sequoia after the Boole Tree, which has a BHD of 898 centimeters. Despite the larger diameter at chest height and almost the same height, the General Grant Tree has a smaller volume than the General Sherman Tree, as it is more slender than this in the lower trunk section. In addition to the giant sequoia trees, there are specimens of other tree species such as coastal redwood , Douglas fir and Sitka spruce , which reach greater heights but are less massive.

More giant trees

literature

  • Robert van Pelt: Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast , page 4f, 2001, Canadian ISBN 0-9684143-1-1

Web links

Commons : General Grant Tree  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Nathan L. Stephenson: Estimated Ages of Some Large Giant Sequoias: General Sherman Keeps Getting Younger . In: Nature Notes, Yosemite Association . 2, 2002.
  2. ↑ a b List of the 30 largest giant sequoias ( Sequoia & Kings Canyon : The Largest Giant Sequoias by Trunk Volume ), revised status 2012 ( PDF ; 0.2 MB; English).
  3. ^ Robert van Pelt: Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast , p. 8, 2001, Canadian ISBN 0-9684143-1-1 .

Coordinates: 36 ° 44 ′ 52.8 "  N , 118 ° 58 ′ 16"  W.