CALAVERAS BIG TREE STATE PARK
Calaveras Big Tree State Park is comprised of two distinct groves with contrasting features.
The northern grove is characterized by its compact size, featuring a well-developed network of trails and extensive forest management practices. The grove feels open spacious. The most iconic Sequoia trees are visible from hundreds of feet in all directions, making them a prominent feature of the landscape.
In contrast, the Southern Grove, which is considerably larger, has undergone 130 years of fire suppression, resulting in densely vegetated understories characterized by layers upon layers of dead trunks and debris. Only a few locations offer glimpses of the immense size of this grove and its astonishing champion specimens.
The primary objective in the coming years is to create a comprehensive photographic catalog of this endangered grove.
A comprehensive plan is currently in motion to conduct controlled burns across extensive portions of the Southern Grove, marking an unprecedented scale in the history of Sequoia forest controlled burn fire management.
The densely overgrown southern grove, encompassing the exceptionally hard-to-reach eastern section as shown in the photo above, is home to approximately 1000 Sequoia trees. Alarmingly, there is a significant likelihood, estimated at well over 50%, of a highly destructive wildfire to sweep through this area within the next decade.
In some remote and less-traveled sections of the South Grove, the state park undertakes initiatives to reduce fuel loads surrounding the largest sequoias.
The preservation endeavors in the Southern Grove have successfully nurtured an ecosystem where colossal Ponderosa and Sugar Pines thrive without restraint. In contrast, the fir trees in the background of the photo, are more susceptible to the effects of drought and subsequent beetle infestations. The accumulation of dead wood among these fir trees is a cause for concern, as it presents a significant fire hazard due to the increase of fuel loads for potential future fires.
The highly visited and meticulously preserved northern grove closely mirrors the species composition and distribution, including the understory, of the untouched forest prior to human settlement. The tree in the center of the image has a trunk that measures close to 20’ in diameter.
Along the perimeter of the northern grove, you'll find an impressive array of trees, showcasing a greater variety of old-growth specimens.
