Ancient Sentinels: The Sequoias of Yosemite National Park

by Thomas Harvey, Bill Kuhn (Revised by), Pete Devine (Revised by)

Overview

Giant sequoias are some of the few things on earth that can literally be described as "awesome." For many, spending time among the largest living things on the planet is a highlight of their lives. The knowledge packed into this slim book will unlock the secrets of these trees and make any visit to Yosemite's three groves even more rewarding. Ancient Sentinels provides bountiful information in a compact format, including:
• maps of the Mariposa Grove, Merced Grove, and Tuolumne Grove;
• what to do and see in the groves;
• description, size, and age of the giant sequoia;
• ecology and life history of the giant sequoia;
• other places in the park where sequoias can be found;
• a comparison with the sequoia's closest relatives, the coast and dawn redwoods;
• and the history and future of this amazing species.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781930238640
Publisher:	Yosemite Conservancy
Publication date:	05/08/2018
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Dr. H. Thomas Harvey was a professor of ecology at San Jose State Universityand pioneering wetlands ecologist. As part of a team that studied the giant sequoia for ten years in the 1970s, he helped revolutionize forest management for giant sequoia groves. Bill Kuhn is a plant ecologist who led a recent study to survey and assess the ecological conditions of Yosemite's three giant sequoia groves. Pete Devine has worked in Yosemite National Park more than 25 years and is the Resident Naturalist for Yosemite Conservancy.

Table of Contents

The Giant Sequoia 5

Discovery 5

Description of the Giant Sequoia 7

Size of the Giant Sequoia 10

Age of the Giant Sequoia 13

Naming the Giant Sequoia 14

Giant Sequoia and Coast Redwood Comparison 16

The Fossil Record and the Evolution of Redwoods 17

Distribution of the Giant Sequoia 19

Giant Sequoia Ecology and Life History 20

Yosemite's Giant Sequoias 25

Giant Sequoia Protection in Yosemite 25

Visiting Yosemite's Giant Sequoias 26

The Three Groves 27

The Mariposa Grove 28

The Tuolumne Grove 38

The Merced Grove 41

Giant Sequoias Outside the Three Groves 44

The Future of the Giant Sequoia 44

A Monument To Survival 47

Notes 48

Maps

The Three Groves 27

Visiting the Mariposa Grove 30

Visiting the Tuolumne Grove 39

Visiting the Merced Grove 43