The Belknap Complex, sometimes referred to as Belknap Grove, is a
complex
Complex commonly refers to:
* Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe
** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
of three
giant sequoia
''Sequoiadendron giganteum'' (also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood, Sierra redwood or Wellingtonia) is a species of coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the la ...
groves located in the
Tule River
The Tule River, also called Rio de San Pedro or Rio San Pedro, is a river in Tulare County in the U.S. state of California. The river originates in the Sierra Nevada east of Porterville and consists of three forks, North, Middle and South. Th ...
watershed of
Giant Sequoia National Monument
The Giant Sequoia National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located in the southern Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada in eastern central California. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, U.S. Forest Service as part of th ...
, just south of
Camp Nelson,
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
. It is formed from the larger McIntyre Grove and Wheel Meadow Grove, and the smaller Carr Wilson Grove. The grove is home to a rich collection of old-growth giant sequoias spread out over . The grove is fairly easy to reach by car given its close proximity to
Highway 190. Forest Trail 31E30 meanders through the heart of the complex.
During the
Castle Fire
The SQF Complex fire—also called the SQF Lightning Complex—was a wildfire complex that burned in Tulare County in Central California in 2020. Comprising the Castle and Shotgun fires, it affected Sequoia National Forest and adjacent areas. B ...
of 2020, approximately 59% of the Belknap Complex was subject to high-intensity fire, which is estimated to kill between 75 and 100% of the giant sequoia in its path.
Noteworthy trees
Some trees of special note found within the complex included:
*The Patriarch Tree was the largest tree in the grove with a volume of . The tree was unusually short for a giant sequoia but had a trunk with a diameter of . The Patriarch Tree was destroyed in the Castle Fire.
*Near Gutless Tree: Second largest tree in grove with a volume of .
*Gutless Goliath: Remnants of a once larger tree, but still in volume.
*The Kathryn Tree: a giant sequoia tree with exceptionally large limbs.
See also
*
List of giant sequoia groves
This is a list of giant sequoia groves. All naturally occurring giant sequoia groves are located in the moist, unglaciated ridges and valleys of the western slope of the Sierra Nevada range in California, United States. They can be found at el ...
*
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 ...
References
Giant sequoia groves
Sequoiadendron
''Sequoiadendron'' is a genus of evergreen trees, with three species, only one of which survives to the present:
* ''Sequoiadendron giganteum'', extant species, extant, commonly known as wellingtonia, giant redwood and giant sequoia, growing nat ...
Protected areas of Tulare County, California
Sequoia National Forest
{{California-protected-area-stub