Giant sequoias are the largest trees on Earth. One, nicknamed the Pioneer Cabin Tree, was so huge that in the 1880s a tunnel big enough for cars to drive through was carved into its trunk! But despite the tree’s size, it couldn’t withstand an intense storm this past January. Flooding toppled the 30 meter (100 foot)-tall, 7 m (22 ft)-wide giant.
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Famed Tree Falls
RICH PEDRONCELLI/AP PHOTO
FALLEN GIANT: The Pioneer Cabin Tree in January
COURTESY OF CALAVERAS STATE PARK/CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
TUNNEL TREE: The tree as it appeared last summer
The Pioneer Cabin Tree was located in Calaveras Big Trees State Park near Sacramento, California. The tunnel was cut to create a tourist attraction. The tree was estimated to be more than 1,000 years old. Thousands of visitors came to see it every year. Now the fallen tree will likely be left in place to decompose, or decay.
The storm that knocked down the tree was one of the biggest to hit California and Nevada in a decade. It caused widespread flooding and mudslides across the region. More than 1,300 people were evacuated from their homes.
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