Floyd Otter (tree) facts for kids
The Floyd Otter is a truly massive giant sequoia tree. You can find it in a special area called Garfield Grove, which is close to the town of Three Rivers in California. This amazing tree was named after Floyd L. Otter, who used to manage the Mountain Home Demonstration State Forest. It's one of the biggest trees on Earth, ranking as the twelfth largest giant sequoia in the entire world!
How This Giant Tree Was Found
Back in the fall of 1978, three naturalists – Gus Boik, Wendell D. Flint, and Robert Walker – were exploring. They discovered two very large giant sequoia trees, which we now know as Eric De Groot and Floyd Otter. These trees were located just uphill from another famous tree called King Arthur. However, after measuring King Arthur, the group didn't have enough time to measure or even name these two new giants.
Years later, in 1993, Wendell Flint mentioned again that there was an unnamed giant sequoia. He said it was about 25 feet (or 7.62 meters) wide and was located just uphill from King Arthur. He still hadn't been able to properly measure or name it.
Then, in 2001, a new group of naturalists took on the challenge. James Chelebda, Arthur P. Cowley, Lawrence L. Otter (who was Floyd L. Otter's son!), and Michael Reed worked together. They successfully found, measured, and finally named the Floyd Otter tree. They were surveying the Garfield Grove area for the National Park Service at the time. Their detailed measurements were later shared with the public in December 2012. This information was part of a list of the 30 largest known giant sequoias and their exact sizes.
Measuring a Giant
The Floyd Otter tree is incredibly impressive when you look at its measurements. Here's a quick look at how big it is:
| Height above base | 273.1 ft | 83.2 m |
|---|---|---|
| Circumference at ground | 99.5 ft | 30.3 m |
| Estimated bole volume | 39,562 cu ft | 1,120 m3 |
