Therefore a Giant Sequoia’s total volume can be calculated as trunk volume + 20% for branches and 20% for roots. Perry, where fine or feeder roots are said to represent 5% of a tree’s proportions, and 15% for larger or transport roots. This gives a fairly accurate trajectory for the trunk volume growth both past and future for UK Sequoias.Ī detailed study of the branch volume of The President Giant Sequoia tree by Steve Sillett provided a ratio of branch volume to trunk volume of just under 20%.įor root volume we reference figures provided in Tree Roots: Facts and Fallacies by Thomas O. Growth rates are between 1 and 1.5ft per annum (we have witnessed 5ft at one of our UK groves!), and growth rings required to get to 3m diameter are just over 2cm in diameter per annum. Those trees today have reached diameters over 3m and heights over 50m. The largest Giant Sequoias in the UK today were planted around 170 years ago when the species was first discovered in the USA and seeds were brought back for specimen growth in large estates and gardens. Our target is to grow Giant Sequoias that reach a volume of 500 m3, circa 1/3rd of the size of the almighty General Sherman. So General Sherman with a carbon weight of 392 tonnes has in fact removed 1439 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere! ![]() Therefore for every 1 tonne of carbon the tree absorbs while growing, it is removing 3.66 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. When a tree absorbs the carbon it (mostly) releases the oxygen atoms into the atmosphere. The carbon accounts for only 27.3% of the molecular weight. ![]() To arrive at the amount of carbon stored in the tree we therefore multiply the total mass of 714 tonnes by a carbon content of 55%, equalling just over 392 metric tonnes.Ĭarbon dioxide is a three part molecule, with one carbon atom and two oxygen atoms. This is however not all carbon, and whereas most trees are about 50% carbon, a Giant Sequoia is closer to 55% carbon. The density of Giant Sequoia wood is approximately 480kg/m3, giving a total mass for General Sherman of 714 tonnes. The world’s largest tree is General Sherman in California, a Giant Sequoia with volume of 1486 cubic meters.
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