Alder Creek Grove is a
giant sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...
grove located both on private land and within the
Giant Sequoia National Monument
The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 3 ...
in the western
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. The grove is spread out over approximately of land and contains 483
giant sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...
s that are at least 25.5 feet in diameter, including the
Stagg Tree Stagg is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862–1965), American collegiate coach in multiple sports, primarily football
* Amos Alonzo Stagg Jr. (1899–1996), American football player and football and basketb ...
, the 5th largest tree in the world and one of the oldest known living giant sequoias. Though on private land, the Rouch family made part of their land accessible to the public.
History
In 1946, much of Alder Creek Grove was purchased by the Rouch family to be logged and developed. The grove was logged in the late 1940s and early 1950s. However, doing so proved to be uneconomical due to the brittle nature of giant sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (giant sequoia; also known as giant redwood, Sierra redwood, Sierran redwood, California big tree, Wellingtonia or simply big treea nickname also used by John Muir) is the sole living species in the genus ''Sequoiade ...
wood, and the regret the family felt logging them. Though about two dozen giant sequoias were cut down, no especially large or old giant sequoias were harmed.[
A 236-lot subdivision of mostly summer cabins, called Sequoia Crest, was built next to the grove around the same time so people could visit the Stagg Tree and some of the surrounding giant sequoias. A short-lived ski resort was also established to make the land more profitable for the Rouch family.][
On September 17, 2019, the ]Save the Redwoods League
Save the Redwoods League is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore coast redwood (''Sequoia sempervirens'') and giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees through the preemptive purchase of development rights ...
announced it had agreed to pay the Rouch family $15.6 million by December 31 to formally protect the giant sequoias growing on their land, including the Stagg Tree Stagg is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Amos Alonzo Stagg (1862–1965), American collegiate coach in multiple sports, primarily football
* Amos Alonzo Stagg Jr. (1899–1996), American football player and football and basketb ...
. Once the deal is finalized, the League plans to spend another $4.75 million on ecosystem studies and restoration work before handing the grove over to the U.S. Forest Service
The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...
to be incorporated into Giant Sequoia National Monument
The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Sequoia National Forest and includes 38 of the 3 ...
. It will then become the largest giant sequoia on land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, edging out the Boole Tree
The Boole Tree is a giant sequoia in the Giant Sequoia National Monument, Fresno County, California. The Boole Tree is the eighth tallest sequoia in the world and is the largest in terms of base circumference at 112 feet. It is estimated to be mo ...
of Converse Basin Grove
Converse Basin Grove is a grove of giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California, 5 miles (8 km) north of General Grant Grove, just outside ...
, the current largest on forest service land.
On December 31, 2019, the Alder Creek Sequoia Grove was saved. Over 8,500 donors from all US States and all major continents minus Antarctica donated the 15.6 million dollars through Save the Redwoods League. These funds were raised in a space of less than 6 months. Save the Redwoods League plans to retain the Alder Creek property for a period of 5–10 years. During this time restoration, thinning (not thinning sequoias), and fire will help restore landscape features in this unique sequoia grove. Once complete the Alder Creek property will be transferred to the US Forest Service for inclusion into the Giant Sequoia National Monument.
In September 2020, the high-intensity Castle Fire
SQF Complex or Sequoia Complex was a complex of two of the August 2020 California lightning wildfires, burning in Sequoia National Forest and adjacent areas. Sparked on August 19, it included the Castle and Shotgun fires. As of January 5, 2021 ...
swept through the grove. An assessment of the grove in 2021 showed that the fire killed or severely damaged 47% of the giant sequoia over in diameter.
Description
Alder Creek Grove is remarkably diverse, being made up of trees of many different ages and sizes, from seedlings to 3,000-year-old giants. There are also mature stands of red fir, white fir, ponderosa pine, and sugar pine trees mixed in amongst the giant sequoias. The grove is also home to several meadows, wetlands, and lush riparian woodlands.[
]
Noteworthy trees
* Stagg: the fifth largest giant sequoia in the world with a volume of . The tree was discovered in 1960 and named after Amos Alonzo Stagg
Amos Alonzo Stagg (August 16, 1862 – March 17, 1965) was an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports, primarily American football. He served as the head football coach at the International YMCA Training School (now called Springfie ...
, an American athlete and college coach in multiple sports. The tree is located on private property, but anyone is allowed to visit the tree if they park where signed and walk the trail to the tree.
*Waterfall: was a giant sequoia with the largest ground perimeter of any living giant sequoia, measuring . The immense basal buttress of the tree supported it as it grows along the steep southern bank of South Alder Creek. It tapered dramatically from the ground up, and had a height of approximately . It was destroyed in the Castle Fire
SQF Complex or Sequoia Complex was a complex of two of the August 2020 California lightning wildfires, burning in Sequoia National Forest and adjacent areas. Sparked on August 19, it included the Castle and Shotgun fires. As of January 5, 2021 ...
of 2020.[ Several seeds had previously been collected from Waterfall and have since been replanted in the same area.]
*Window: a giant sequoia which featured a large "window" that was formed when the tree was weakened by disease and later struck by lightning. This tree was also destroyed by the Castle Fire.
See also
*List of giant sequoia groves
This is a list of giant sequoia groves. All naturally occurring giant sequoia groves are located in the moist, unglaciated ridges and valleys of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California, United States. They can be found at ele ...
References
External links
*
Save the Redwoods efforts to protect Alder Creek
{{authority control
Giant sequoia groves
Giant Sequoia National Monument
Protected areas of Tulare County, California
Sequoia National Forest