THE SEQUOIA PRESIDENT
Greetings everyone!
How is your New Year coming along? Any big projects or decisions? As for me, I’m still working on last year’s resolutions, ha ha!
Speaking of big, Sequoia National Park is a stunning natural treasure of one of God’s giant creations here in the United States of America. One sequoia, (Sequoiadendron giganteum), dubbed “the president,” has thankfully not succumb to
loggers, forest fires, earthquakes, or tornadoes over the thousands of years it has been alive. But there is more than this which makes these giants as big as they are. Trees have what is known as water pull where water from the roots is pushed upward. Usually the water can travel upward only a few meters by osmotic pressure. It the case of extremely tall trees such as sequoias and redwoods, these extraordinary heights are reached by using a system of branching capillarity (capillary action) in the tree’s xylem (tiny water tubes) and sub-pressure from evaporating water at the leaves. “Sequoias supplement water from the soil with fog, taken up through aerial roots (roots that grow above the ground), at heights to where the root water cannot be pulled. This giant sequoia stands at 247 feet tall & is estimated to be over 3,200 years old. Imagine, this tree was already 700 years old during the height of ancient Greece's civilization and 1200 years old when Jesus lived and Rome was well into its rule of most of the western world and points beyond. The trunk of The President measures at 27 feet across, with 2 BILLION needles From base to top.”
The time scale utilized is secular, meaning each tree ring is believed to represent one year of growth. However, it is a well know fact that trees can produce a ring of growth after a good amount of rainfall, which can occur several times a year. So even though the 3,200 year estimate falls within the biblical timeframe of the post Flood era, the President and other
sequoias may actually be younger than we think. By looking at the average rainfall in Sequoia National Park, it would be reasonable to say there could be, on average, two growth spirts in a year. That would cut the age in half! But remember that is on average and we don’t really know what the rainfall would have been in this part of the world directly post Flood or during the Ice Age.
So regardless of the age of the tree, it does align with scripture. And if you haven’t seen the photograph of the President in its entirety, it is staggering and can be found in National Geographic’s magazine! National Geographic
photographers worked along with scientists to create the first photo that shows the President in all its glory. They had to Climb the tree with pulleys and levers, and took thousands of photos. Of those, they selected 126 and stitched them together, to get this incredible portrait of the President.
And just for all you fine people who don’t live in the United States, the Giant sequoia can be found in Canada, Northern Europe, Italy, France, Australia, New Zealand, and the British Isles.
All I can do is sing praises to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Until next time, God bless and take care!
Willow Dressel
References:
National Geographic
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sequoiadendron_giganteum#Biology
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