Washington (tree)
The Washington tree is a giant sequoia in the Giant Forest Grove in Tulare County, California, within Sequoia National Park. It is named after George Washington, first President of the United States. Until it partially collapsed in January 2005, the Washington tree was the second largest tree in the world (after the General Sherman tree).
With a height of 254.7 feet (77.6 m), circumference at ground level of 101.1 feet (30.8 m), and an estimated volume of 47,850 cubic feet (1,355 m3), the Washington tree was widely considered the second largest living single-stem tree in the world—only the nearby General Sherman tree was larger.
The tree was studied in 1999 by scientists from Humboldt State University and University of Washington. The tree was 253.7 feet (77.3 m) tall, with a basal diameter of 29.9 feet (9.1 m). Its total volume was 49,550 cubic feet (1,403 m3), including the main stem 47,930 cubic feet (1,357 m3) and the 46 largest branches 1,620 cubic feet (46 m3). The scientists discovered a large cavity in the trunk of the tree, measuring 115 feet (35 m) in height by 10 feet (3.0 m) in diameter. The cavity was accessible only by a hole situated 190 feet (58 m) above the ground. The significance of this finding is that the volume of wood in the tree had been greatly overestimated by previous measurements.
A second and more significant development occurred in September 2003, when a fire caused by a lightning strike damaged the tree's crown. National Park Service officials decided to let the fire burn without human intervention. The tree lost a large portion of its crown in the fire, reducing its height to about 229 feet (70 m).
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