Giant trunk
Red-orange.
Daniel G. Rego — CC0 · Grenzlandstern — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Roman Tokman — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Marty Aligata — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Cariebear — CC BY-SA 4.0
The General Sherman Tree is a giant sequoia in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park, California, about 21 km northeast of the town of Three Rivers in a straight line. By volume it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth. According to the official account, the tree was named in 1879. In 1931, after comparison with the nearby General Grant Tree, it was confirmed as the largest tree in the world, and since then wood volume has been the accepted standard for comparing tree sizes. In January 2006 its largest branch, more than 2 metres across and over 30 metres long, larger than most trees, broke off with no one there to see it. The huge red-orange trunk rises among other sequoias and pines, flaring enormously at the base, and visitors at the protective fence look tiny beside it. The branches at the top form a distant green crown against the sky. Visitors follow a short trail through the forest to a viewing area in front of the tree. A fence protects the roots, so stay behind it. The road to the Giant Forest is winding and mountainous and may be closed by snow in winter.
Red-orange.
Sequoias.
In front of the tree.
Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park, California, United States
No, a short trail.
Snow may close it.