Sequoia Facts

Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) aren’t native to the Pacific Northwest. But with changing climate and hotter summers, they are well-suited to thrive in our urban neighborhoods. They provide numerous benefits to human and other creatures:

  • Their massive size and potential to live thousands of years mean they can store huge amounts of carbon.
  • Sequoia trees provide habitat for dozens of species.
  • The shade they provide reduces summertime surface temperatures. They can reduce the need for air conditioning by up to 50%

Average Annual Environmental Benefits:

Carbon Sequestered (pounds)CO2 equivalent (pounds)Run Off Avoided (gallons)Rainfall intercepted (gallons)
1.55.53,8638,553

iTree annual figures (based on USDA Forest Service research; https://mytree.itreetools.org/ )

Fun facts

  • Sequoias can live up to 3,000 years
  • Their bark can be 3 feet thick
  • The largest living tree in the world is a sequoia. Name: General Sherman in Sequoia National Park.
    Diameter at base: 36 feet; height: 274 feet; 2,100 years old! It weighs 2.7 million pounds.
  • The tallest sequoias are the height of the Statue of Liberty and the weight of 400 elephants
  • The second largest tree is General Grant
  • The third largest is The President, which is 3,240 years old!
  • There are 12 Giant Sequoias in Green Lake Park
  • The largest branches of a sequoia can be up to 8 feet in diameter
  • Sequoias never stop growing until they die
General Sherman Sequoia
  • The Macy’s Christmas tree in downtown Seattle is a Giant Sequoia. Height: 80 feet. It was ~100 feet but a storm shortened it. It was moved to that location in the 1970s as a 30 foot tree.
  • Sequoias are climate workhorses: they store a lot of carbon, provide habitat and food for several animals, and are generally fire resistant.
  • Each tree started as a tiny seed. Only a few seeds germinate
  • There are only 81 groves of sequoias left in the country. They are an endangered species
  • Sequoia wood is brittle and fibrous, and therefore unsuitable for construction 
  • The oldest known redwood fossils date back more than 200 million years
  • Sequoias produce serotenous cones, meaning they need fire in many cases to reproduce.
Seattle's urban sequoia in front of Macy's

Growing Sequoias

Mature trees on private and public property are best suited to clean the air, filter water and provide the most shade. Saplings just aren’t up to the task, and take years to reach maturity. However, planting new trees, especially big evergreens, is important.