Nelder (tree) facts for kids

Nelder Tree (Photograph by John P. Soule, 1870)

Nelder is a very tall and wide giant sequoia tree. It lives in the Nelder Grove area, which is part of the Sequoia National Forest in California. Nelder is the biggest tree in its grove. It is also one of the largest giant sequoias in the whole world! It ranks as the 23rd largest, or possibly even 22nd, depending on another tree's health after a fire.

About the Nelder Giant Sequoia

Nelder stands about 1,050 feet (320 meters) northwest of a sharp turn on the "Graveyard of the Giants Trail." You can find it at the end of a small, unofficial path. The bottom part of the tree, like many trees nearby, was touched by the 2017 Railroad Fire.

History of the Nelder Tree

On July 3, 1859, three explorers found the Nelder tree. They were naturalist Galen Clark, Judge John W. Fitzhugh, and journalist L.A. Holmes. They discovered it during a hunting trip in the area.

In 1875, a person named John A. Nelder built a small cabin near the tree. He was a prospector who became a hermit, meaning he lived alone. John A. Nelder believed this tree was the biggest in the world!

Later that same year, John A. Nelder met famous naturalist John Muir. Muir measured the tree. He found it was smaller than the Grizzly Giant tree in Mariposa Grove. However, people later discovered that Nelder was taller and had more wood volume than the Grizzly Giant. This made it the second-largest giant sequoia in that region, after the Washington tree in Mariposa Grove.

Nelder Tree Measurements

Here are some interesting facts about the size of the Nelder tree: