Fusion Giant Redwood | aka Melkor

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

Copyright 2009 by Mario Vaden

This redwood is Fusion Giant, aka Melkor. Around 2008, its dimensions showed up on a Humboldt State University web page, anonymously with no name, as a new 2nd largest known coast redwood. Previously, Iluvatar was the 2nd largest. Fusion Giant was known about years before though, for being rather tall. Its height measurement alone sat online barely noticed since it was never identified in any publications. For reference, 2009 data for Fusion Giant is: 348.8' or 106.3 meters tall, 22.4' at dbh or diameter breast high, measured 4.5' above grade, and 1107.2 cubic feet of wood volume.

The coast redwood is memorable for me, but not only because its nice to look at. I found another redwood before this one on the same day, which had a trunk diameter almost as wide: which I named Episkopos. The name refers to how high up the slope its rooted, in a position that oversees much of the Redwood Creek Valley in that area. After finding Episkopos, I realized that undiscovered Titans could be anywhere that has been unexplored. Episkopos may have too much stem taper to be a bonafide titan for total wood volume, but the trunk base is indicative that giants can live high up in the hills. Some months later, I learned that Prof. Sillett of Humboldt State University discovered another titan high on a hillside in the same park, while exploring with Kenneth Fisher. Mr. Fisher is a businessman with with extensive knowledge and concern for redwood forest ecology.