Nelder Grove

Nelder Grove
The Bull Buck Tree of Nelder Grove
Map
Map showing the location of Nelder Grove
Map showing the location of Nelder Grove
Geography
LocationMadera County, California, United States
Coordinates37°26′24″N 119°35′16″W / 37.4399402°N 119.5876482°W / 37.4399402; -119.5876482
Elevation5,200–5,600 ft (1,600–1,700 m)
Area1,540-acre (6.2 km2)
Ecology
Dominant tree speciesSequoiadendron giganteum

Nelder Grove, located in the western Sierra Nevada within the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, California, is a Giant sequoia grove that was formerly known as Fresno Grove. The grove is a 1,540-acre (6.2 km2) tract containing 54 mature Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees, the largest concentration of giant sequoias in the Sierra National Forest.[1][2] The grove also contains several historical points of interest, including pioneer cabins and giant sequoia stumps left by 19th century loggers.

Before European Americans arrived, there were 400 mature sequoias in Nelder Grove, but the population has seen several steep declines since then.[3] About 70% of the mature trees were cut during the late 19th century timber era.[3]: 3  Despite federal protection in the 20th century, the population of sequoias has been further impacted by decades of fire exclusion, with 38 trees killed in the Railroad Fire of 2017. Currently, only 60 mature specimens remain in the grove.[2][4]

  1. ^ "Chapter 3 - Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences". Final Environmental Statement (Technical report). Vol. 1. Clovis, California: The U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2010.
  2. ^ a b Stephenson, Nathan; Brigham, Christy (June 25, 2021). "Preliminary estimates of sequoia mortality in the 2020 Castle Fire" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center: 8. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Negley was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Hussain, Judi (February 16, 2024). "Scenic Byway Association Holds Status Meeting". Sierra News Online. Retrieved February 29, 2024.