California's giant sequoias are one of the symbols of America. The lifespan of these trees is 4000 years. In 1850, with the beginning of the "gold rush", the massive deforestation of these forests began. 95% of the sequoias were destroyed, the trunk diameter of which averaged 3 meters.
Sequoia can rightfully be called the queen of the plant world. The coniferous tree is over 90 meters high, which is comparable to the height of a 30-storey building. The most gigantic trees on the planet grow only in the humid forests of California, at an altitude of up to 2,000 meters above sea level.
An interesting fact: sequoia is almost not subject to fire, since the reddish bark of a tree 70 cm thick has unusual properties: it crumbles easily and absorbs moisture well. In addition, the fibrous bark of the sequoia does not rot. It is not surprising that such properties allow the tree to reach an honorable age - up to 4,000 years.
Today, there are only 30 groves on the planet where sequoias grow. All of them are national reserves. The most famous is Redwood - Sequoia Park, included in the UNESCO list. The tallest trees in the world grow on an area of 36.8 hectares. Many of them even got their own names:
- General Sherman. This sequoia is not the tallest representative of the species - its height is "only" 83.8 m. But thanks to the thickness of the trunk, whose diameter is 11.1 m, General Sherman is known as the largest green organism on Earth;
- Helios. This giant was only discovered in 2006. Its height is 114.69 m;
- Hyperion. It was found at the same time as Helios. The age of the tallest tree on the planet is about 750 years, and its height is 115.61 m.
Trees are remarkable not only for their beauty and variety. They are the lungs of the Earth. Unfortunately, deforestation and the development of more and more territories lead to a decrease in the number of these amazing representatives of the flora. But we hope that many more generations will have the opportunity to admire the green giants - the most gigantic trees on the planet.
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