Ishi Giant 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 ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, United States. It is located in Kennedy Grove, which is part of a group of eight closely spaced giant sequoia groves situated in

Sequoia National Forest Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boundari ...

in the Sierra Nevada in eastern central

. It was the 14th largest giant sequoia in the world before it atrophied during the Rough Fire in 2015.

History

Ishi Giant was discovered by naturalist Dwight M. Willard in 1993. Naturalist Wendell D. Flint suggested naming the tree "Calavera" after the two discovered a human skull beside the tree later that same year. However, Willard chose to name the tree after Ishi, the last Yahi Yana tribesman who is believed to have been the last Native American in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

to have lived most of his life completely outside

American culture The culture of the United States of America is primarily of Western, and European origin, yet its influences includes the cultures of Asian American, African American, Latin American, and Native American peoples and their cultures. The U ...

. Before 2015, Ishi Giant measured tall with a trunk volume of , making it the fourteenth largest giant sequoia tree in the world. The trunk of tree featured a large, deep burn scar on its southern face with two large "

buttress A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall. Buttresses are fairly common on more ancient buildings, as a means of providing support to act against the lateral ( ...

es" on either side of its trunk. The crown of the tree was concentrated almost exclusively around the top third of its total height. In 2015, the tree lost significant trunk volume, over in height, and over half of its crown during the Rough Fire. A new volume and height estimate is needed to determine its current size.

References

Individual giant sequoia trees Kings Canyon National Park {{tree-stub

History

See also

References