World's Tallest Tree Now Officially Off-Limits; National Park Officials Say Foot Traffic May Cause Soil Compaction, Damage to Nature's Greens

Hiding the tallest tree worldwide may seem hard, but that's precisely what officials at the Redwood National Park in California have been attempting to do since 2006.

The 380-foot redwood tree is "now officially off-limits," LA Times reported. In a statement released a week ago, the park reported, that the visitors caught close to it could face six months in jail and a fine amounting to $5,000.

For 16 years, California’s Redwood National Park has refused to publish the location of the 380-foot tall redwood tree in order to protect it, fearing that too many visitors to the site could damage it.https://t.co/2jN8nOb6hF
— Los Angeles Times (@latimes) August 2, 2022

For 16 years, the park kept the site of the tree hidden for its protection. They feared that many visitors to the area could damage the delicate ecology of the slopes surrounding it.

According to the park's chief of natural resources, Leonel Arguello, people have the right to come to their parks and enjoy themselves there.

Nonetheless, their concerns concern the visitors' safety and the resources' protection. More so, the park's officials said when they see potential damage, they need to make a decision that protects such things.

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(Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images)
The Redwood trees, native to California's Sierra Nevada Mountains, are the world's largest by volume, reaching 274.9 feet (84.2 meters) and a ground level girth of 109 feet (33 meters).

Redwood Trees

The coast redwood, also called Sequoia sempervirens, is estimated to be as old as 600 to 800 years old. Called Hyperion, named after the Greek Titan god of heavenly light, it stands deep in the park and doesn't have tails resulting from it, although its internet popularity has made it a frequent destination for thrill-seekers, tree enthusiasts, and travel bloggers.

Redwood trees are growing on the coast from Big Sur up to the border of California, Oregon, and nowhere else worldwide. The New York Times reported that they could live over a thousand years and have existed for over 200 million years.

According to the director of conservation planning Joanna Nelson from Save the Redwoods League, "We've lost 95 percent of old-growth redwoods."

She added, that only five percent stay that has not been commercially logged. Nearly half of those are discovered in Redwood National Park.

Protecting the Redwoods from Logging

Nelson explained, that companies like to cut redwoods down to construct fences and decks since they naturally resist rot and pests.

The national park is protecting its redwoods from logging, although it is much more difficult to prevent eager hikers from crashing. Their foot traffic can result in soil compaction, impairing the trees' shallow roots.

She also explained that pressing the soil down will affect the ability of the tree to survive. Nelson added, that getting water out of compacted soil is extremely much more difficult for the finer roots.

Officials said visits to Hyperion are very hazardous for visitors. The place has limited cellphone reception and GPS coverage, making rescuing lost or injured hikers extremely challenging.

Park Closure

The park has released closures for different reasons before. People will always be sneaky and attempt to go since that is what people are doing, explained Arguello.

Therefore, what they want to do through this closure is to minimize that effect, and hopefully, the area can start recovering on its own.

Moreover, park officials explained that Hyperion is not the most impressive tree on the site and does not match up to its hype, a related Gulf Today report specified.

The trunk is tiny compared to other old redwood trees, and it is impossible to observe its height from the ground.

A report about the Redwood trees is shown on ABC7's YouTube video below: