Tuesday, June 23, 2009

The Tallest Tree

The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park is the largest (by volume) tree in the world.

Computing the volume of a standing tree is the practical equivalent of calculating the volume of an irregular cone. For purposes of volume comparison, only the trunk of a giant sequoia is measured, including the restored volume of basal fire scars. Using these accepted standards and actual field measurements taken in 1975, the volume of the Sherman Tree was calculated to be slightly over 52.500 cubic feet (1486.6 meters).


Feet
Meters
Height above Base274.983.8
Circumference at Ground102.631.1
Maximum Diameter at Base36.511.1
Diameter 60' (18.3 m) above base17.5 5.3
Diameter 180' (54.9 m) above base14.0 4.3
Diameter of Largest Branch6.82.1
Height of First Large Branch above the Base130.0 39.6
Average Crown Spread106.532.5

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