General Sherman Tree

July 04, 2011

GenShermanseqsher788ap29 9 (4) 
ParkerGroupseq754bap29 9 (5) 
Photographer: Ray Boren
Summary Author: Ray Boren; Jim Foster

The photo at top shows the enormous General Sherman Tree in California's Sequoia National Park. Although it's not the oldest sequoia it’s thought to be the most massive in the world. Named for General William Tecumseh Sherman, who commanded troops under General Ulysses Grant during the U.S. Civil War, this stout specimen stands 275 ft (84 m) tall. The volume of its trunk is approximately 52,500 cu ft (1,487 m3) – as measured in 2002. These redwoods are the tallest living things on Earth.

The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) is native to the western slope of the southern Sierra Nevada range. One reason they attain such heights is that their multi-layered canopy is extremely efficient at trapping moisture from fog, which occurs frequently here, even during the dry periods. At bottom is an angled view of the Parker Group of redwoods, also in Sequoia National Park.

Photo details: Top - Camera Maker: NIKON CORPORATION; Camera Model: NIKON D60; Focal Length: 18.0mm; Aperture: f/8.0; Exposure Time: 0.013 s (1/80); ISO equiv: 200; Exposure Bias: none; Metering Mode: Matrix; Flash Fired: No (enforced); Orientation: Normal; Color Space: sRGB. Bottom - same except: Aperture: f/4.5; Exposure Time: 0.017 s (1/60).