“I kept my lofty perch for hours, frequently closing my eyes…to feast quietly on the delicious fragrance that was streaming past. The fragrance of the woods was less marked than that produced during warm rain, when so many balsamic buds and leaves are steeped like tea; but, from the chafing of resiny branches against each other, and the incessant attrition of myriads of needles, the gale was spiced to a very tonic degree”.

John Muir, Naturalist, excerpt from The Mountains of California

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Seqoiadendron giganteum, Range: Western slope of Sierra Nevada in central California

The Giant Sequoias

Sequoia are the largest trees in the world, but not the tallest Sequoia characteristics, General Grant Grove, Sequoia National Forest, CA Blue-green Sequoia leaves Sequoia grow to heights of 150 to 250 feet and 20 ft. diameter
The Giant Sequoia reaches full height in its first 800 years, then continues to add bulk rather than height. Late afternoon shadows and blue sky beautify the already impressive Sequoia forest Mossy Sequoia, Mariposa Grove, Sequoia National Forest, CA Mossy Sequoia, Mariposa Grove, Sequoia National Forest, CA
Sequoia longevity is attributed to properties that make it resilient against fire, insects and disease Sequoia trunk and scale-leaves Ponderosa Pine thrive in the central California forests alongside the Giant Sequoias Sequoia roots extend outward 200 to 250 feet and are comparitively shallow, only six to eight feet deep.
Galen Clark, first guardian of Yosemite Valley and Mariposa Grove, worked hard to protect the Giant Sequoias. Mariposa Grove, The Bachelor and Three Graces Mariposa Grove, Sequoia National Forest, CA Sequoia Toe!
Sequoia roots are only six to eight feet deep, so the trees are prone to toppling. White tailed Deer munching on young Sequoia branches, Kings Canyon National Park Sequoia in Shadow Autumn, Eight thirteen p.m. in the Sequoia National Forest, northern California

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