General Sherman, a 2000-year-old giant sequoia, is not the largest tree in terms of height, but it does take the cake in total wood volume at an astonishing 52,500 cubic feet. The tree resides within the boundaries of Sequoia National Park and is a popular tourist destination for those who wish to witness its awe-inspiring size first hand. 

Fellow record-setting arbors include the Australian mountain ash trees which are known to be the tallest trees and African baobabs which are famous for their impressive circumference. There is a stand of aspen trees in Utah that replicates through cloning and maybe as old as 80,000 years. 

We offer this chance to think about General Sherman at a time when the forests of the Amazon are at risk, to take a pause and step back from the urgency of the moment.  Consider that General Sherman has been watching us through the ages, alive since before the industrial revolution or Manifest Destiny. In fact, it (he/she/it) was alive and growing before the Roman Empire came into being and throughout the thousand years of its existence. And General Sherman is nowhere near the oldest tree alive. Click the link below to learn more about General Sherman and the resilient nature of the world’s oldest and largest trees.