Giant trees in the Sierra Nevada

The Central Sierra Nevada region has many of the largest trees in the state. Well-known "giant tree hunter" Bob Van Pelt of the University of Washington has spent many years compiling lists of the largest trees (for each particular species) in the West. Including many of the largest individual trees of various tree species in California. Bob frequently visits our local region to update and expand his inventory of the largest trees for most of the state's native species.

Not only does Bob have some great lists of information, but he has absolutely stunning books out showing beautiful, breathtaking giant trees, along with excellent details to compare the height, diameter, volume, crown, and shape of various trees.

Jeffrey Pine near Ebbetts Pass with Mike Milne in photo for scale

Douglas Fir known as the "School Marm" tree

Help us find the last big trees in our local region

If you know of any of exceptionally large trees on the local forest that may be worth noting, please contact us with any information that you have on the trees. Even if you think that a particular very large tree is already well documented and widely known, please take a minute to send a brief description of where it is located and anything you know about it to [email protected].

Here is a list of trees that may be of special interest for our local region:

• White fir
• CA red fir
• Mountain hemlock
• Douglas fir
• Incense cedar
• Ponderosa pine
• Jeffrey pine
• Sugar pine
• Western White pine
• Whitebark pine
• Lodgepole pine

• CA laurel
• Gray pine
• Knobcone pine
• Sierra juniper
• Pacific dogwood
• Black cottonwood
• Fremont cottonwood
• CA black oak
• Canyon live oak
• Blue oak
• Interior live oak
• Valley oak

Check out the California Register of Big Trees to see a list and location of all the documented tree-species in California

Below are more photos of beautiful large trees from our local region:

White pine in Mokelumne Wilderness

Valley Oak near Standard

Giant valley oak near Groveland on the Groveland Community Services District property, with general manager Jim Goodrich providing scale of size

Lodgepole pine in the Emigrant Wilderness

Giant aspen near Bell Meadow with Bob Rajewski showing the size of the trunk

Photo from early days of logging in local mountains... a colossal sugar pine, but even larger trees were cut in many portions of the forest. (train log photo)

Giant black oak near Mather - photo courtsey of Paul Detman

For more information about record-breaking big trees in California, check out the California Register of Big Trees.