Nelder Grove facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nelder Grove
The Bull Buck Tree of Nelder Grove
Map
Location in California
Geography
Location	Madera County, California, United States
Coordinates	37°26′24″N 119°35′16″W / 37.4399402°N 119.5876482°W / 37.4399402; -119.5876482
Elevation	5,200–5,600 ft (1,600–1,700 m)
Area	1,540-acre (6.2 km2)
Ecology
Dominant tree species	Sequoiadendron giganteum

Nelder Grove is a special forest in California. It is home to many Giant Sequoia trees. These are some of the biggest trees on Earth! The grove is located in the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, California. It was once called Fresno Grove.

This amazing grove covers about 1,540 acres (that's like 1,166 football fields!). It has over 100 huge Giant Sequoia trees. You can also see old sequoia stumps. These are from when trees were cut down a long time ago. The grove became protected in 1928. There is also a campground in Nelder Grove where people can stay.

Sadly, in 2017, a big fire called the Railroad Fire happened. It killed almost half of the large sequoia trees in the grove.

Amazing Trees to See

Nelder Grove has several famous trees and trails. Here are some you might want to know about:

• Nelder Tree: This is the biggest tree in the grove. It measures about 34,993 cubic feet (991 cubic meters). It is the 22nd largest giant sequoia in the whole world!
• Bull Buck Tree: People once thought this was the world's second-largest tree. It stands 246 feet (75 meters) tall. Its base is 100 feet (30 meters) around. Even though it's huge, its volume is smaller than some others.
• Old Grandad Tree: This tree looks very old and strong. It sits on top of a hill. Many believe it has been there for a very long time.
• Old Forester Tree: This is the tallest tree in the Nelder Grove campground area. It is about 299 feet (91 meters) tall. It is named after Walter Puhn, a former forest supervisor.
• Big Ed Tree: This tree was named after Ed Zerlang. He was a foreman at a local mill and this was his favorite giant sequoia. You can reach it by a short trail.

A Look at the Past

The Nelder Grove area was used for logging from 1878 to the mid-1890s. The Madera Flume and Trading Company cut down many trees. They mostly harvested sugar pines, ponderosa pines, white firs, and incense-cedars. They also cut down some sequoias.

John Muir and the Hermit

The grove is named after John A. Nelder. The famous naturalist John Muir called him the "Hermit of the Fresno Forest." Muir wrote about Nelder and the area in 1878. His writings were later put into his book Our National Parks.

Muir described seeing a large landslide in the area. Trees, including sequoias, had slid down but were still standing upright. He also saw many young sequoia trees growing strongly in the new soil. He counted over 500 young sequoias in a small area.

Today, you can see reminders of the logging days. There are two restored cabins and copies of old log chutes. These are on display at the Nelder Grove interpretive center.

Shadow of the Giants Trail

The Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail is a special nature trail. It was built in 1965 and became a National Recreation Trail in 1978. Along the trail, there are signs that tell you about the giant sequoias and other trees in the grove.

The Railroad Fire

A giant sequoia tree in Nelder Grove after the Railroad Fire in May 2019.

In September 2017, a large wildfire called the Railroad Fire burned through Nelder Grove. It killed almost half of the 104 mature sequoia trees there.

Several things made the fire very strong. Before the fire, California had a very long drought. This made the trees dry and weak. Also, for many years, fires were stopped from burning naturally. This caused a lot of dead plants and small trees to build up on the forest floor. This extra fuel made the fire burn much hotter than usual.

The fire caused the Shadow of the Giants trail to close. It affected more than 82 of the grove's large sequoia trees.

Images for kids

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  Bildeo Meadow Cabin

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  Nelder Tree, 1870.

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  The lumber mill at Nelder Grove around 1881.

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  Loggers and their families.

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  A group portrait portrays the trees' remarkable scale.

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  A giant sequoia measuring 78 feet (24 m) in circumference felled in Nelder Grove.

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  A state-of-the-art Dolbeer single spool donkey sometime after 1881.

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  The Nelder Grove Tramway.

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  Fire burning in Nelder Grove on September 10, 2017.

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  Resource Advisors (READ) from the National Park Service apply fire-resistant wrap to a historic Bildeo cabin.

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  Firefighters pose atop a giant sequoia stump.