The Grizzly 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 ...
in
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
's
Mariposa Grove
Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of i ...
. It has been measured many times; in 1990 Wendell Flint calculated its volume at , making it the
26th-largest living giant sequoia.
The Grizzly Giant is the oldest sequoia in the
Mariposa Grove
Mariposa Grove is a sequoia grove located near Wawona, California, United States, in the southernmost part of Yosemite National Park. It is the largest grove of giant sequoias in the park, with several hundred mature examples of the tree. Two of i ...
, the largest
giant sequoia grove in
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park ( ) is an American national park in California, surrounded on the southeast by Sierra National Forest and on the northwest by Stanislaus National Forest. The park is managed by the National Park Service and covers an ar ...
, with several hundred mature specimens. At one time, the Grizzly Giant was considered the oldest and largest tree in the world, aged between 2,000 and 3,000 years. In 2019, refined scientific dating methods resulted in a new age estimate for the Grizzly Giant: 2,995 years old (plus or minus 250 years).
On July 16, 2022, the
Washburn Fire
The Washburn Fire was a wildfire that burned in Yosemite National Park near the Mariposa Grove of Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant sequoias. The fire was reported on July 7, 2022, in the lower Mariposa Grove area near the Washburn trail, for which ...
threatened Grizzly Giant and other trees in Mariposa Grove. The National Park Service used sprinklers to protect the famous tree.
Dimensions
See also
*
List of largest giant sequoias
The giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') is the world's most massive tree, and arguably the largest living organism on Earth. It is neither the tallest extant species of tree (that distinction belongs to the coast redwood), nor is it the ...
*
List of individual trees
The following is a list of notable trees. Trees listed here are regarded as important or specific by their historical, national, locational, natural or mythological context. The list includes actual trees located throughout the world, as well as ...
References
*''Geology of U.S. Parklands: Fifth Edition'', Eugene P. Kiver and David V. Harris (John Wiley & Sons; New York; 1999; page 227)
External links
Yosemite and the Mariposa Grove: A Preliminary Report, 1865
from the ''National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and ...
''
Record from the 38th Congress
including the 1864 Act granting the grove to California
Record from the 59th Congress
returning the grove to federal control
{{Coord, 37, 30, 12.65, N, 119, 36, 2.39, W, region:US_type:landmark, display=title
Individual giant sequoia trees
Yosemite National Park