United States
Department of
Agriculture
Forest Service
Pacific Southwest
Forest and Range
Experiment Station
General Technical
Report PSW-95
Proceedings of the Workshop on
Management
of Giant Sequoia
May 24-25, 1985, Reedley, California
Cover: Management objectives for giant sequoia include restoring and maintaining natural
ecosystem processes, protecting "showcase" areas or "specimen" trees, and producing timber.
Photos show, clockwise from left: General Sherman Tree, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National
Parks; prescribed burning for site preparation after whitewood removal, Bearskin Grove, Se­
quoia National Forest; and young giant sequoias, Sequoia National Forest.
Publisher:
Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station
PO. Box 245, Berkeley, California 94701
December 1986
Proceedings of the Workshop on
Management
of Giant Sequoia
May 24-25, 1985, Reedley, California
Technical Coordinators
C. Phillip Weatherspoon
Y. Robert Iwamoto
Douglas D. Piirto
CONTENTS
Preface .............................................................................iii
Management of Giant Sequoia in the National Parks
Workshop Presentations of the Sierra Nevada, California ................................. 26
Evolution and History of Giant Sequoia ............................ 1
David J. Parsons, H. Thomas Nichols
H. Thomas Harvey
Silvics of Giant Sequoia .................................................... 4
C. Phillip Weatherspoon
Diseases and Insects of Giant Sequoia ........................... 11
John R. Parmeter, Jr.
Growth and Yield of Giant Sequoia ...................................14
David J. Dulitz
Genetic Variation and Early Performance of Giant Sequoia
in Plantations................................................................17
W. J. Libby
Wood of Giant Sequoia: Properties
and Unique Characteristics ......................................... 19
Douglas D. Piirto
Management of Giant Sequoia on Mountain Home
Demonstration State Forest ......................................... 30
Norman J. Benson
Management of Giant Sequoia in the National Forests of the
Sierra Nevada, California ........................................... 32
Robert R. Rogers
Management of Giant Sequoia at Blodgett
Forest Research Station................................................ 37
Robert C. Heald
Management of Giant Sequoia at Calaveras
Big Trees State Park .................................................... 40
Wayne Harrison
Appendix-Field Trip Summary and Handouts ...... 43
Recommendations from the Sierra Club
for Managing Giant Sequoia ...................................... 24
Joseph Fontaine
i
PREFACE
Since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century, giant se­
quoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum [Lindl.] Buchholz) has
been noted for its enormous size and age, and its rugged, aweinspiring beauty. Because the species has broad public appeal
and a restricted natural range, most groves of giant sequoia have
been accorded protected status. In some groves, however, and
increasingly outside the natural range of the species---both in
the United States and in many other countries---giant sequoia is
being utilized for timber production. Many foresters consider its
rapid growth and favorable wood characteristics to indicate a
substantial potential for it to become a major timber-producing
species. Giant sequoia also is widely planted and highly regarded
as an ornamental.
The first-ever workshop designed to bring together the stateof-knowledge on giant sequoia and its management---"Man­
agement of Giant Sequoia"---was held at Kings River Com­
munity College in Reedley, California, May 24 and 25, 1985.
It was sponsored by the University of California Cooperative
Extension---Forestry and the Northern California Society of
American Foresters. The intent of the workshop was to address
the history, silvics, genetics, growth and yield, wood properties
and products, insect and disease relationships, appropriate man­
agement strategies by different agencies and landowners, and
recommendations for future management of giant sequoia.
The second day of the workshop included a field trip to view
first-hand and to discuss management activities in Sequoia Na­
tional Forest, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. A
short summary and handouts from the field trip are in the ap­
pendix.
Because of the considerable public and professional interest
in giant sequoia, the Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Ex­
periment Station, Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agricul­
ture, agreed to publish the proceedings of the workshop to make
the information available to a larger audience. These proceedings
are a useful reference for resource managers, foresters, natural­
ists, ecologists, and the interested public.
The views expressed in each paper are those of the author(s)
and not necessarily those of the sponsoring organizations. Trade
names and commercial enterprises are mentioned solely for information and do not imply the endorsement of the sponsoring
organizations. The tree names currently accepted for use by the
Forest Service are Sequoiadendron giganteum and giant sequoia.
Other names, however, are also used in these proceedings.
We thank the many people who assisted in the workshop and
field trip---Linda Parham, Robert Cannell, Paul Roche, Tom
Nichols, and the staff from Kings River Community College,
Sequoia National Forest, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon Na­
tional Parks. We appreciate the excellent work done by Roberta
Burzynski, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Sta­
tion, in editing these proceedings. Most importantly, we thank
the speakers and field trip leaders and coordinators for willingly
devoting their time and efforts in preparing the workshop papers,
and their organizations for making their time available. Finally,
special thanks go to the participants who contributed to the dis­
cussion and to the sharing of ideas that made the workshop a
success.
C. Phillip Weatherspoon, Pacific Southwest Forest
and Range Experiment Station
Technical Coordinator
Y. Robert Iwamoto, Sequoia National Forest
Workshop Co-chairman and Technical Coordinator
Douglas D. Piirto, Sierra National Forest
Workshop Co-chairman and Technical Coordinator
(now at California Polytechnic State University)
iii