Lindsey Creek tree facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lindsey Creek Tree |
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|---|---|
| Species | Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) |
| Location | Fieldbrook, California |
| Height | 118.87 m (390.0 ft) |
| Volume of trunk | 2,548.5 m3 (90,000 cu ft) |
The Lindsey Creek Tree was a truly enormous tree that grew in Fieldbrook, California. It was a type of tree called a Coast redwood (also known as a California redwood). Scientists call this species Sequoia sempervirens. This amazing tree grew along Lindsey Creek, which flows into the Mad River.
Many people believe the Lindsey Creek Tree was the largest single-stem tree ever known to have existed. Imagine a tree so huge! It was uprooted and fell during a big storm in 1905. When it fell, people tried to guess its size. They thought it weighed at least 3,630 short tons, which is about 3.3 million kilograms (or 7.26 million pounds). Its main trunk was thought to hold at least 2,550 cubic meters (90,000 cubic feet) of wood.
To help you imagine how big that is, if these numbers are correct, this tree would have been almost twice the size of the largest living single-stem tree today, the giant sequoia called General Sherman. It would also have been nearly three times bigger than the largest living coast redwood, named Grogan's Fault. The Lindsey Creek Tree's trunk volume was even five times larger than the tallest living coast redwood, Hyperion. Because it was so much bigger than other known trees, some people wonder if the measurements were perfectly accurate.
Witnessing the Giant Tree
A logger named Skip Johnson, who worked in Fieldbrook, was interviewed in 1971. He said he saw the Lindsey Creek Tree after it had fallen. He remembered it as the tallest tree in Fieldbrook.
Mr. Johnson also shared some measurements taken by a family member. They measured its diameter (how wide it was) at 19 feet (about 5.8 meters) when they were 130 feet (about 40 meters) off the ground. Higher up, at 260 feet (about 79 meters) off the ground, its diameter was still 9.5 feet (about 2.9 meters). The total height of the tree was said to be a little more than 390 feet (about 119 meters).
Before a lot of logging happened, there is good evidence that coast redwoods were the biggest trees in the world. Many historical records mention trees that were over 400 feet (about 122 meters) tall. Today, the tallest known living tree is also a coast redwood, named Hyperion. It stands at 115.85 meters (380.1 feet) tall.
