Converse Basin Grove

Converse Basin Grove is a grove of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees located in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California.[1] The grove is situated 5 miles (8 km) north of General Grant Grove, just outside Kings Canyon National Park in the national monument managed by the Sequoia National Forest. The grove is about 3,700 acres (15 km2) with sequoias concentrated in the basin formed by Converse Creek.[1]

Historical marker (1977)

History

Converse Basin was once the second largest giant sequoia grove in the world before being logged of most of its giant sequoias between 1892 and 1918. Some 60-100 large specimens survive out of some 6,000.[1]

The grove was named after Charles Porter Converse, who settled the basin prior to its logging.

Converse Basin Grove and the areas surrounding it were heavily impacted by the Rough Fire in 2015. No trees of exceptional size or historical significance were harmed.[2]

Noteworthy trees

Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are:

  • The Boole Tree: Prior to 1931, this tree was thought by some to be the largest tree in the world (although the nearby General Grant Tree was more popularly recognized as the largest at the time), but after measuring many other specimens The Boole Tree was rated at number 6, with a volume of 42,472 cubic feet (1,202.7 m3). This tree has an enormous base, with a girth of over 113 feet (34 m). The tree is 267 feet (81 m) tall.
  • Chicago Stump: the remnant of the General Noble Tree which was cut for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition. The General Noble Tree was the second largest tree in the grove. Although not among the very largest Giant Sequoias, the General Noble Tree was perhaps among the top 30 largest Giant Sequoias before it was cut.
  • Muir Snag: Thought to be the oldest giant sequoia, this now dead tree is still standing but only at 140 feet (43 m) tall. It has a maximum base diameter of 35.9 feet (10.9 m) and before it died its perimeter could have been as much as 110 feet (34 m). This tree is thought to have been more than 3500 years old when it died.
  • Boole, the 6th largest giant sequoia in the world.
  • The dead canopy of Boole caused by shock immediately after almost all of the surrounding trees were cut down.
  • The Muir Snag
  • A section of General Noble on display during the 1893 World Columbian Exposition.
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See also

References
  1. "Converse Basin Grove". US Forest Service - Sequoia National Forest. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  2. "District Personnel Actively Managing Land burned in Rough Fire". USFS - Sequoia National Forest. March 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2019.

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