The General Sherman is a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) tree located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, in the U.S. state of California. By volume, it is the largest known living single stem tree on earth. The General Sherman Tree is neither the tallest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to the Hyperion tree, a Coast redwood), nor is it the widest (both the largest cypress and largest baobab have a greater diameter), nor is it the oldest known living tree on Earth (that distinction belongs to a Great Basin bristlecone pine).With a height of 83.8 meters (275 ft), a diameter of 7.7 m (25 ft), an estimated bole volume of 1,487 m3 (52,513 cu ft), and an estimated age of 2,300–2,700 years, it is nevertheless among the tallest, widest and longest-lived of all trees on the planet.While the General Sherman is the largest currently living tree, it is not the largest tree known to humans. The Crannell Creek Giant, a coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) near Trinidad, California, is estimated to have been 15 to 25% larger than the General Sherman tree by volume. The tree was cut down in the mid-1940s. And another larger coast redwood, near 90,000 cu. ft., the Lindsey Creek tree, was reported in a 1905 Humboldt Times Standard article.
Dimensions of General Sherman
| Height above base | 274.9 ft | 83.8 m |
|---|---|---|
| Circumference at ground | 102.6 ft | 31.3 m |
| Maximum diameter at base | 36.5 ft | 11.1 m |
| Diameter 4.5 ft (1.4 m) above height point on ground | 25.1 ft | 7.7 m |
| Diameter 60 ft (18 m) above base | 17.5 ft | 5.3 m |
| Diameter 180 ft (55 m) above base | 14.0 ft | 4.3 m |
| Diameter of largest branch | 6.8 ft | 2.1 m |
| Height of first large branch above the base | 130.0 ft | 39.6 m |
| Average crown spread | 106.5 ft | 32.5 m |
| Estimated bole volume | 52,508 cu ft | 1,487 m3 |
| Estimated mass (wet) (1938) | 2,105 short tons | 1,910 t |
| Estimated bole mass (1938) | 2,472,000 lb | 1,121 t |
