The President Tree, Sequoia National Park, California

The President Tree, Sequoia National Park, California.

The President tree is the name of a giant sequoia located in the Giant Forest of Sequoia National Park in the United States, east of Visalia, California. The tree is believed to be at least 3,000 years old. It is not the tallest giant sequoia tree in the world with a height of about 241 feet (73 m), nor the widest at about 27 ft (8.2 m) in diameter at the base, but it is the second largest tree in terms of volume in the world. As of 2012, the volume of its trunk measured at about 45,000 cubic feet (1,300 m3), with an additional 9,000 cubic feet (250 m3) of branches. That same year, it was determined that the President was larger than the General Grant, if measured by total volume of wood above ground.

The tree was named after President Warren G. Harding in 1923. Nearby trees include Chief Sequoyah, the 27th largest giant sequoia in the world, and the Congress Group, two dense stands of medium sized sequoias that represent the “House” and “Senate”.