Giant Forest Museum

The forest

Five of the ten most massive trees on Earth stand here

Giant Forest covers 1,880 acres of montane forest in the western Sierra Nevada, at over 6,000 feet. Five of the ten most massive trees on Earth stand here, which makes it one of the most significant giant sequoia groves for study and for visitors. The General Sherman Tree is the largest known tree by volume.

The market

The museum is the old market building, made over in 2001

The museum is the old market building of historic Giant Forest. Its renovation began in 1999 and was completed in the summer of 2001, when it opened as a museum and visitor center. It teaches the difference between California coastal redwoods and giant sequoias, and the ecology of the park, through interactive exhibits.

The village

A village of nearly 300 buildings was taken down, and four remain

Giant Forest Village was once home to nearly 300 buildings. Some of the sequoias became unstable because of root damage from the development. It was demolished between 1995 and 2000, and lodging moved to Wuksachi Village, about 7 miles north. Four buildings remain now, with no commercial activity, and the area was restored to nearly natural conditions.

300buildings once stood among the trees, and four remain

Fire

The forest needs fire, and for years it was kept out

Giant sequoias depend on periodic low-intensity fires to reproduce, because heat helps open their cones and prepares the soil for seeds. During much of the 20th century, fire suppression let fuel build up and raised the risk of severe wildfires. Today the National Park Service uses prescribed burns and managed wildfires to restore natural fire conditions.