Defiant Redwood of the Week: Giant Tree

A big coast redwood by any other name …

The extraordinary redwoods of the world go by many names, some of which are pretty impressive: Mother of the Forest, Hyperion, General Sherman, Atlas, the list goes on. At some point, though, you’ve just got to call it what it is. And thus, the Giant Tree in the Rockefeller Loop of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. It is not the biggest or the tallest, but it might be the most coast redwood-ish. And that’s probably why it got its designation from the American Forestry Association as the National Champion Coast Redwood in 1991. It just stands as a beautiful example of a coast redwood among many other beautiful examples. Not sure how old it is – let’s just say many centuries. Really, this tree is just a finger in the eye of all things that are bad in the world, a constant reminder that nature produces great beauty and majesty. When such things exist it’s hard to imagine defeat.

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An upward-angle shot captures the sense of height of Giant Tree.
Looking up the trunk of Giant Tree in the Rockefeller Loop of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Photo by TJflex.
Across a footpath in the distance, a hiker stands before Giant Tree, looking upwards.
the Giant Tree in the Rockefeller Loop of Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Photo by TJflex.

 

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Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has protected and restored redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so these wonders of the natural world flourish.

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