Old Survivor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old Survivor |
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 Old Survivor
Location in California
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| Species | Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) |
| Coordinates | 37°47′34″N 122°10′29″W / 37.7928°N 122.1748°W |
| Height | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Diameter | 26 ft (7.9 m) |
| Date seeded | 1549-1554 |
Old Survivor, also known as the Grandfather Tree, is a very special tree. It's the last original, old-growth coastal redwood left from a huge forest. This forest used to cover the Oakland Hills in California.
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Meet Old Survivor: A Unique Tree
Old Survivor looks quite unique. It has a shaggy (or messy) appearance. Several of its large branches hang down from its top. This tree is much taller than the other trees around it. Those other trees are all "second growth," meaning they grew after the original forest was cut down.
How Old Is Old Survivor?
Even though it's called "Old Survivor," this tree is actually quite young for an old-growth coastal redwood. Most old-growth redwoods live for 1,200 to 1,800 years, or even longer! Old Survivor started growing between 1549 and 1554. This was just a few years before the explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo first explored the coast of what is now California.
Where Can You See Old Survivor?
You can spot Old Survivor from a distance. It's visible from the York Trail in Leona Heights Park. You can also see it from the parking lot of Carl B. Munck Elementary School. At the school, there's a special sign. This sign tells you all about the tree's size and its interesting past.
The Story of Old Survivor: A Forest's Past
From 1845 to 1860, many coastal redwood trees were cut down. People used their valuable wood for building. This logging destroyed most of the thick redwood forest in the Oakland Hills.
Why Old Survivor Was Spared
Another wave of logging happened after the big 1906 San Francisco earthquake. This caused even more destruction to the forests. Only a few small groups of old-growth redwoods were left in the entire East Bay area. But Old Survivor was lucky! It grew on a very steep and rocky slope. This made it too hard and expensive for loggers to cut down. So, it was saved!
Protecting the Grandfather Tree
In 1916, the city of Oakland bought the land where Old Survivor stands. They wanted to protect the remaining redwood trees in the area.
Rediscovery and Recognition
Old Survivor was "rediscovered" in 1969. A park expert named Paul Covel found it in what was then McCrea Memorial Park. Today, that park is called Leona Heights Park. Scientists studied the tree's rings. They figured out that in 1969, the tree was about 415 to 420 years old.
On June 24, 1980, Old Survivor was given a special title. It was named a City of Oakland Historic Landmark. This means it's an important part of the city's history.
Old Survivor in Film
In 2018, a documentary film called "Old Survivor" was released. This movie celebrates the tree. It also looks back at the history of Oakland's amazing coastal redwood forests.
