CALAVERAS BIG TREE STATE PARK

Along the perimeter of the northern grove, you'll find an impressive array of trees, showcasing a greater variety of old-growth specimens.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.