Dyerville Giant
The Dyerville Giant, which stood here perhaps for as long as 1600 years, was taller, larger, and older than any other tree around it. It seemed to be of another age. Very few of these ancient relics still remain.
The tree was recognized as a “Champion” Coast Redwood, as certified by the American Foresters Association until it fell on March 24, 1991.
Before it fell, it was at least 362 ft (110 m) tall. That is 200 ft (61 m) taller than Niagara Falls, or comparable to a 30-story building. It is 17 ft (5 m) in diameter, 32 ft (9.75 m) in circumference, and probably weighs over 1,000,000 pounds (454,000 kg).
What was the tree recognized as?
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The events that caused the giant to fall are common in ancient redwood forests. During the rainy season, the soil becomes saturated with water. Another large tree (seen back at stop #7) fell one week earlier than the Giant, hitting a second tree and causing that tree to lean. A week later, the leaning tree fell, striking the Dyerville Giant, causing it to fall.
No one actually saw the Giant fall, but a park neighbor, who lived a mile away, reported hearing a large crash and thought it was a train wreck.
A tree over 50 feet (15 meters) away had mud splattered 15 feet (5 meters) up its trunk from the impact of the Giant hitting the ground. Unless fire consumes it, the Dyerville Giant will continue to be here on the forest floor for hundreds of years, fulfilling an important role in the healthy life of an ancient forest.
As the decay process gains a hold on the Giant, it will become the host, home, and food source to over 4000 kinds of plants and animals that will live in or on it. There is a burl located 100 feet (30 meters) from the roots along the tree’s main trunk. This knobby bump is a cluster of dormant buds, which may grow shoots for a period of time.
Redwood roots grow just a few feet down into the soil. Despite being shallow, their roots can grow laterally hundreds of feet, intertwining with and grafting onto the roots of neighboring trees. Together, they help to hold each other up.
It is interesting to see the progression of plants growing in the mineral soil pit created by the Giant’s fall. One of the first plants to appear was the Redwood Sorrel, which looks like clover. It is associated with redwoods growing in alluvial flood plains such as in this grove.
