Converse Basin
Converse Basin is a grove of giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees located in the Giant Sequoia National Monument in the Sierra Nevada, in Fresno County, California.
The grove is situated 5 miles (8 km) north of General Grant Grove, just outside Kings Canyon National Park in the national monument managed by the Sequoia National Forest. The grove is about 3,700 acres (15 km2) with sequoias concentrated in the basin formed by Converse Creek.
Converse Basin was logged of most of its giant sequoias between 1892 and 1918. Some 60-100 large specimens survive out of some 6,000. The grove is composed of thousands of young sequoias together with these few remaining mature trees. This grove was once the second largest grove of giant sequoias in the world. It offers unique opportunities to study the growth of young sequoias and to create timelines from tree rings on the stumps of cut mature trees.
The grove was named after Charles Porter Converse, who settled the basin prior to its logging.
Noteworthy trees
Some of the trees found in the grove that are worthy of special note are:
- The Boole Tree: Prior to 1931, this tree was thought by some to be the largest tree in the world (although the nearby General Grant Tree was more popularly recognized as the largest at the time), but after measuring many other specimens The Boole Tree was rated at number 6, with a volume of 42,472 cubic feet (1,202.7 m3). This tree has an enormous base, with a girth of over 113 feet (34 m). The tree is 267 feet (81 m) tall.
- The Muir Snag: Thought to be the oldest giant sequoia, this now dead tree is still standing but only at 140 feet (43 m) tall. It has a maximum base diameter of 35.9 feet (10.9 m) and before it died its perimeter could have been as much as 110 feet (34 m). This tree is thought to have been more than 3500 years old when it died.