Del Norte Titan ~ Coast Redwood

This page is an off-shoot of > Largest Coast Redwoods

Copyright 2009 by Mario Vaden

This is Del Norte Titan redwood as I saw it on a rainy drizzly day for the first time, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. That is Tricia our oldest daughter in the photograph. Discovered May 11, 1998 by Steve Sillett and Michael Taylor after an day-long cross-country exploration through the park. According to Prof. Steve Sillett, this was one of the most vigorous and physically demanding "bushwhacks" he ever experienced. They also found New Hope redwood earlier that day, plus Ol' Jed Douglas fir which became the largest known of that species in California. In 2009, Chris Atkins, Steve Sillett and I realiized that Ol' Jed finally died, after we crossed Ruthlor Gulch in the park's midst.

For reference, 2009 data for Del Norte Titan redwood is 306.2' or 93.6 m high, 23.7' or 7.22 m diameter, and 37,200 cubic feet wood volume. The main trunk is still 12.1 feet diameter at 180 feet high, but quickly tapers where reiterated stems emerge. There were 43 reiterated stems which account for 9.5% of the total wood volume. The largest reiterated stem was 5.24 feet diameter and at one point, is connected to the main trunk by a fused horizontal 4.59 foot diameter branch. One saddle of wood between reiterated trunks had 2 meters or 6.56 feet deep of canopy soil. The main trunk is decayed and hollow above 278 feet. Some branches are up to 98 feet long, draping down: some fused together.

Robert Van Pelt wrote about Del Norte Titan that it had 1222 AF points. AF points are American Forests points, often used for champion species. At 106' up the trunk, two huge reiterated trunks also reach up for the sky. One of them was measured at 5' thick and 155' tall.