Giant Sequoia trees are truly the skyscrapers of the natural world. They’re one of three members of the Sequoioideae subfamily, and the giants, in particular, are very unique. Here are 15 incredible tree facts about these humble giants.
1. Giant sequoias are rare trees
Giant sequoias can only grow along a narrow, 260-mile strip on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between 5,000 and 7,000 feet.
2. Giant sequoia trees are among the oldest trees in the world
A giant sequoia tree can live up to 3,000 years.
3. Giant sequoias know how to branch out
A giant sequoia tree’s largest branches can be eight feet in diameter.
4. Giant Sequoia trees have thick skin
You could say the giant sequoia is thick-skinned. Its bark can be up to 3 feet thick.
5. Giant sequoias are protected
Giant sequoias were once logged, but the practice stopped over a century ago because the tree’s wood is brittle. Today, the trees are protected.
6. Giant sequoias are huge trees
The largest giant sequoia is taller than a 26-story building.
7. It is rare for a giant sequoia tree to grow taller than 300 feet.
Most giant sequoias are not able to grow to a height greater than 300 feet. The tallest sequoia is 379 feet tall.
8. Giant sequoias are some of the widest trees in the world
The giant sequoia’s girth is what truly makes it a giant. Their trunks are sometimes 35 feet across. It’d take six people stretched out head to toe to match its width.
9. Giant sequoias really know how to fill up a room
The world’s largest tree by volume, General Sherman, is a giant sequoia boasting a total volume of more than 52,000 cubic feet.
10. A giant sequoia is the world’s largest living organism
General Sherman is the largest living organism on the planet. It is 2,100 years old and weighs 2.7 million pounds.
11. Giant sequoias are pretty hardy
Giant sequoias are one of the world’s hardiest trees. Their thick bark makes them flame resistant, as well as resistant to fungal rot and wood-boring beetles.
12. Giant sequoias live the longest
Giant sequoias are the third longest-living tree species on the planet. The only trees that live longer are bristlecone pines and Alerce trees.
13. Giant sequoias are always growing
Giant sequoia trees never stop growing until the day they die.
14. Giant sequoias have single-child households
In order to sustain the species, a giant sequoia needs to produce only one offspring over its entire lifespan.
15. Giant sequoias aren’t quick to reproduce
The giant sequoia only reproduces every 20 years. Forest fires are required to open their cones.
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