Is General Sherman Tree OK?

As of Sunday, the tree remained safe, thanks to the efforts of hundreds of firefighters, officials say. Firefighters battling a major wildfire in Sequoia National Park had some good news to report on Sunday: General Sherman — the giant sequoia and one of the largest living trees in the world — is still standing.



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While General Sherman is the largest currently living tree, it is not the largest historically-recorded tree. The Lindsey Creek tree, with more than 90,000 cubic feet (2,500 cubic meters) almost twice the volume of General Sherman, was reported felled by a storm in 1905.

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The Giant Forest alone is home to 8,000 giant sequoia trees, including the General Sherman tree. The tree, which is roughly 2,200 years old, sits behind a fence and a giant sign displaying its name. While you cannot get close enough to touch it, it remains both a beautiful sight and a great photo opportunity.

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Weapons (including, but not limited to, BB, Pellet and Paint Guns, Bow/Arrow, Slingshots, Bear Spray and other compressed gas irritant devices) are illegal to possess. Discharge of a firearm or weapon is prohibited within Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks.

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Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks boast many of the world's largest trees by volume. The General Sherman Tree is the largest in the world at 52,508 cubic feet (1,487 cubic meters).

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The tree is 275 feet tall, and over 36 feet in diameter at the base, making it taller than the Statue of Liberty from its base to the torch. General Sherman wrapped in foil to protect it from fire. The KNP Complex Fire, which is made up of the Paradise Fire and the Colony Fire, has charred 11,365 acres, so far.

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The base of the General Sherman Tree has been wrapped in aluminum-based burn-resistant material, according to Sequoia and Kings National Parks.

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Two other historical and exceedingly enormous giant sequoias, the Discovery Tree with a near-30m circumference, and especially the long-fallen Father of the Forest from Calaveras Grove, reportedly a whopping 435ft high and 110ft in circumference, are widely considered to have once been larger than General Sherman.

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Whitebark pine, Western juniper and Douglas-fir can live more than 1,000 years while giant sequoias can live more than 3,000 years. Giant sequoias are the third longest-lived tree species with the oldest known specimen to have been 3,266 years old in the Converse Basin Grove of Giant Sequoia National Monument.

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