They are the biggest. Giant redwoods are revered for their age and size. It was not always like that.
Many of the biggest giant redwoods were killed merely for bragging rights. Whoever discovered the biggest got to arrange to get it cut down, and then pose on the stump for photographs. Some trees were cut down just so the rings could be counted. Many felled trees were just left to rot where they fell. It was not practical to transport the lumber out of the remote regions of the Sierra Nevada where the trees lived. That was at a time when ‘sportsmen’ shot from trains into herds of wild buffalo, only to pose with the biggest dead carcass they could find in the aftermath, and then leave all of the deceased to rot on the prairie.
So, at about the same time in history that the related coastal redwood was being harvested so indiscriminately for lumber, the biggest of the giant redwoods were killed primarily for sport. Even in regions from which lumber could have been transported from, no one could figure out how to get such massive giant redwoods onto the ground without fracturing the lumber within. Because their wood is so brittle, smaller giant redwoods that were harvestable were simply cut and split into shakes, grape stakes, and fence posts and rails. Young and healthy specimens of the biggest trees in the World were used for the smallest and most unglamorous forms of lumber.
The biggest of the giant redwoods are of course protected now, mostly within national parks. They are quite accessible to those who want to visit and admire them. I got this picture with one of my esteemed colleagues in front of the General Sherman tree in wintertime back in the early 2000s.
Tony Tomeo 
It is a sad statement on the character of some humans.
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It was how society and the culture was at the time. Redwoods were considered to be inexhaustible resources. People really believed that they dominated nature.
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Think big game hunting today. I don’t think much has really changed.
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At least big game hunting is rare and only appeals to only a few with something to prove. It is not so socially acceptable to those who do not participate.
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Never thought of trees as a sport trophy. How sad
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Some of the weird specimens in my garden are trophies, but only while they are alive.
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I remember going to see General Sherman about 15 years ago and having this weird sensation of my mind being unable to register it as a tree (does not compute… does not compute…) — it was just too darn big!
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To me, they looked like they should have windows in them, like the Bank of American building in downtown San Jose.
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Reblogged this on Tony Tomeo and commented:
Big stumps around here remind us how big the coastal redwoods were. Big stumps of the giant redwoods are even bigger.
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Tony, I’ve yet to see Coastal or Giants. My (91 year old) central PA mama grows Dawn Redwoods and nurtures seedlings to gift to others. We don’t have your mighty ones in PA but we’re thrilled with our fast growing, majestic Dawns. Orange in fall before the needles drop. Bright green in spring. A good foot or two of growth each time we blink!
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Coastal redwoods would not like the climate there. They dislike hard frost, and can not support the weight of significant snow. However, the giant redwood, which is native to a much smaller natural range, might live there. It does well in many regions far beyond its natural range. Forest Grove in Oregon is names for a grove of giant redwoods that was planted there by a retired prospector after the Gold Rush
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