Grizzly Giant

The Grizzly Giant, a giant sequoia, is among the most popular attractions in Yosemite National Park's Mariposa Grove. (For scale, people are visible at the bottom of the photo.)

The Grizzly Giant is a giant sequoia in Yosemite National Park's Mariposa Grove. It has been measured many times; in 1990 Wendell Flint calculated its volume at 34,005 cubic feet (962.9 m3), making it the 26th-largest living giant sequoia.

Another angle of Grizzly Giant, also with people visible for scale. (July 4, 2023)

The Grizzly Giant is the oldest sequoia in the Mariposa Grove,[1] the largest giant sequoia grove in Yosemite National Park, with several hundred mature specimens. At one time, the Grizzly Giant was considered the oldest and largest tree in the world,[2] 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).[citation needed]

On July 16, 2022, the Washburn Fire threatened Grizzly Giant and other trees in Mariposa Grove. The National Park Service used sprinklers to protect the famous tree.[3]

  1. ^ Minteer, Ben A.; Pyne, Stephen J. (2013). "Restoring the Narrative of American Environmentalism". Restoration Ecology. 21 (1): 6–11. doi:10.1111/j.1526-100X.2012.00909.x. ISSN 1526-100X. S2CID 82998273.
  2. ^ Hutchinson, Elizabeth (2004). "They Might Be Giants: Carleton Watkins, Galen Clark, and the Big Tree". October. 109: 47–63. doi:10.1162/0162287041886476. ISSN 0162-2870. JSTOR 3397659. S2CID 57565084.
  3. ^ Albeck-Ripka, Livia (July 12, 2022). "How to Save an Ancient, Giant Tree From a Wildfire". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 July 2022.