The Genesis Tree is a

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 ...

that is the seventh largest tree in the world. It is located within the

Mountain Home Grove Mountain Home Grove is a grove of giant sequoia trees located in the southern part of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, and includes some of the largest trees in the world. Description Mountain Home Grove is located partly in Balc ...

, a

grove located in

Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest (MHDSF) is a state forest located on Bear Creek Road (Tulare County Route 220), northeast of Springville in Tulare County, California. The protected land covers an area of with an elevation range bet ...

in the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

of eastern

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 ...

. The Genesis Tree was heavily damaged by the Castle Fire in 2020.

History

The tree was named and discovered by Wendell Flint and Mike Law in 1985 while searching for "big trees" in the

Sierra Nevada Mountains The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...

. They measured a massive, previously undocumented, tree that they observed in the Mountain Home giant sequoia grove, and determined that it is slightly smaller than the Boole tree in the

Converse Basin Converse Basin Grove is a grove of Sequoiadendron giganteum, giant sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada (U.S.), Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California, 5 miles (8 ...

grove in

Sequoia National Forest Sequoia National Forest is located in the southern Sierra Nevada mountains of California. The U.S. National Forest is named for the majestic Giant Sequoia (''Sequoiadendron giganteum'') trees which populate 38 distinct groves within the boun ...

, but with a more slender base and larger trunk. The Genesis Tree is also slightly larger than what was then the seventh largest tree in the world - the Franklin tree in the

Giant Forest The Giant Forest, famed for its giant sequoia trees, is within the United States' Sequoia National Park. This montane forest, situated at over above mean sea level in the western Sierra Nevada of California, covers an area of . The Giant Fore ...

grove of Sequoia National Park - thereby making the Genesis Tree the seventh largest overall, and the largest tree in the Mountain Home grove.

Dimensions

The dimensions of the Genesis Tree as measured by Wendell D. Flint. The calculated volume ignores burns. The volume of the tree after the Castle Fire remains unmeasured. By 2013, the tree had grown to 86.2 meters (282.8 feet) in height and attained a girth of 24.04 meters (78.9 feet) at 1.37 meters (4.5 feet) above the base.

History

Dimensions

See also

References

Further reading