In the middle of 19th century, the hunters of fur animals saw for the first time in California coniferous trees with thickness of their trunks, in elephants´ dimensions. High above western steep slopes of Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, they saw it with their own eyes, and ready to to take an oath to anybody at any time. Nevertheless, they would better be silent, because this news reached wood-cutters quickly, and, as a consequence, many of such highest and oldest trees were turned upside down. These Californian mammoth trees - sequoias - belong to the sort of swampy cypresses, and could grow up to the height of 135 metres. Some of such mammoth trees in Sierra Nevada Mountain Range reached an age of 4000 years. However, later a man started to cut down these trees, and to manufacture from the wood dance parquetted floors or lines for ninepins. The trunks from two highest trees were even exhibited as one of world wonders.

The fact that even now you can see in south of California several mammoth trees, is a merit of several enthusiastic persons. They carried out the establishment of Sequoia National Park Assotiation. As a jewel of this nature reservation, situated in north direction from Los Angeles, it is Giant Forest Area, involving such mammoth trees, where the Indians from Monachi tribe, guided by Hale Tharp, cattle breeder, in 1858. He settled inside tubular trunk of one sequoia, bought there some soil (ground), and, despite rich financial offers, he refused to sell the soil, till the time when the state took over the forest and declared it as nature reservation. This remarkable path names Congress Trail, passing throughout forest with highest trees of all over the world. You can comfortably walk below gigantic sequoias for two hours at least. The trees are so high as church towers and voluminous as the elephants. So, one tree obtained its name after leader of Tscherokia Indian Tribe - such as Sequoayh Chief. The botanists named this sort of mammoth trees, in memory of Indian alphabet (the leader invented it). Further gigantic trunks got its names according to leading politicians and generals of American history.

One from these mammozth trees, with unusally thick trunk, got a name General Sherman Tree, after famous army leader from American Civil War time period. This man had, with his army troops, a decisive world in final victory of North States over South Confederation States. This sequoia tree, celebrated as the highest plant, is 2500-3000 years old and reaches the height of nearly 85 metres. Its trunk circumference reaches 31 metres and its diameter makes 11 metres. The trunk volume makes 1486 cubic metres, and its weight makes approx. 1256 tonnes. The trees of comparable height are also to be found in neighbouring nature reservations, such as the sequoia of South General Grant  is 81,5 metres high and its circumference at the trunk exceeds the height of 30 metres. In Yosemite National Park, you can admire Giant Grizzly, the tree more than 2700 years old and 64 metres high. Not far from there, you can find so called „Beam Tunnel“, fell in 1868. At the end of 19th century, a tunnel was bored through, for better park-attractivity. The hole was so big, that even postal carriage could go through.

Text: Denisa Arvajová

Translation: ing. Jan Jonáš

Photo: Picasaweb.com