General Sherman tree
Encyclopedia : G : GE : GEN : General Sherman tree
The General Sherman tree is a Giant Sequoia. It is the largest tree in the world, and generally considered the largest organism, as measured by the volume of its trunk (1487 cubic metres as of 2002). It is approximately 2,200 years old. The tree is located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the United States, at
It was named after General William Tecumseh Sherman, American Civil War leader, by naturalist James Wolverton in 1879. Wolverton had served as a Lieutenant in the 9th Indiana Cavalry under Sherman. Additionally, the utopian socialist community Kaweah Colony, who settled nearby in the 1880s, named it after Karl Marx [link]. The tree was identified as the largest in a 1931 dispute with the nearby General Grant tree, after which wood volume was the widely accepted determining factor [link].
Statistics
| Meters | Feet | |
|---|---|---|
| Height above base | 83.8 | 274.9 |
| Circumference at ground | 31.1 | 102.6 |
| Maximum diameter at base | 11.1 | 36.5 |
| Diameter 1.5 m above base | 8.25 | 27.0 |
| Diameter 18 m (60') above base | 5.3 | 17.5 |
| Diameter 55 m (180') above base | 4.3 | 14.0 |
| Diameter of largest branch | 2.1 | 6.8 |
| Height of first large branch above the base | 39.6 | 130.0 |
| Average crown spread | 32.5 | 106.5 |
See also
- List of famous trees
- Champion trees
- National Champion Tree
External links
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