Boole (tree) facts for kids
The Boole Tree is a truly massive giant sequoia tree. It stands tall in the Converse Basin Grove, which is part of the Giant Sequoia National Monument. You can find this amazing tree in Fresno County, California, within the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountains.
The Converse Basin Grove is managed by the Sequoia National Forest. It's about 5 miles (8 km) away from the famous General Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park. Long ago, Converse Basin was a huge forest with thousands of giant sequoias. But between 1892 and 1918, most of these giant trees were cut down. Today, only about 60 to 100 large sequoias remain. Even so, this grove is still the second largest continuous group of giant sequoias on Earth!
Meet the Boole Tree
The Boole Tree is by far the biggest giant sequoia in the Converse Basin Grove. It was named around 1895 by a doctor named A.H. Sweeny from Fresno. He named it after Franklin A. Boole. Mr. Boole was in charge of the logging (tree-cutting) operations in the area. He decided to save this particular tree because it was so incredibly huge.
For many years, before 1931, some people thought the Boole Tree was the biggest tree in the world! However, today we know it's the sixth largest tree on Earth. There are five other giant sequoias that are even bigger: the General Sherman tree, the General Grant tree, the President tree, the Lincoln tree, and the Stagg tree.
Amazing Size
The Boole Tree has the largest "footprint" of any living giant sequoia. This means its base is wider than any other. Around its bottom, the tree measures an incredible 113 feet (34.4 meters) in circumference!
Here are some more facts about its impressive size:
- It stands about 268.8 feet (81.9 meters) tall from its base.
- At 4.5 feet (1.4 meters) above the ground, its diameter is about 25.4 feet (7.7 meters).
- Even 60 feet (18 meters) up, its diameter is still about 15.6 feet (4.7 meters).
- Its main trunk, called the bole, has an estimated volume of 43,931 cubic feet (1,244 cubic meters). Imagine how much wood that is!
Images for kids
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The Boole tree – sixth largest tree in the world
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The Boole tree, top branches mostly dead
