Sequoia Tree

In front of you is a piece of a trunk from a giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum). Giant sequoia trees are unique to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California, USA. This slice of tree trunk originated from a tree that fell during a storm in California. After the tree collapsed, its trunk was sawed and two museums received slices from it: one slice was sent to Japan, and the other was sent right here to Giv'at Ram, through a complicated logistical operation.

The diameter of this cross section is about 4 meters long, but trees of this species can grow to have a trunk as large as 11 meters wide! This width, together with a height of over 80 meters, make the giant sequoia the tree with the largest volume in the world.

Take a look at the many rings in the trunk. If you touch them, you can feel thin lines reminiscent of fingerprints. Each ring is just 2 millimeters wide. The rings tell the story of the tree's history, with each ring having been created over the course of one year of growing. The size of this cross-section, along with the number of rings, tell us that this tree was about two-thousand years old. There have even been reports of sequoias reaching the remarkable age of 3,000 years! The oldest known sequoia today is named after George Washington, and its age is estimated to be between 2,550-3,150 years old.

Now take a look at the bottom part of the trunk-slice. You may notice some scorched areas – damaged from fires. The sequoia is a very durable tree, able to withstand damage and fires. In fact, wildfires actually help sequoias spread their seeds and cones. In parks in California that have implemented anti-wildfire policies, the sequoia populations have weakened. Today, various American organizations are trying to find ways to save the old trees.