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Nelder Grove

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Coordinates: 37°26′24″N 119°35′16″W / 37.4399402°N 119.5876482°W / 37.4399402; -119.5876482
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Nelder Grove
The Bull Buck Tree of Nelder Grove
Map
Map showing the location of Nelder Grove
Map showing the location of Nelder Grove
Geography
LocationMadera County, California, United States
Coordinates37°26′24″N 119°35′16″W / 37.4399402°N 119.5876482°W / 37.4399402; -119.5876482
Elevation5,200–5,600 ft (1,600–1,700 m)
Area1,540-acre (6.2 km2)
Ecology
Dominant tree speciesSequoiadendron giganteum

Nelder Grove, located in the western Sierra Nevada within the Sierra National Forest in Madera County, California, is a Giant sequoia grove that was formerly known as Fresno Grove. The grove is a 1,540-acre (6.2 km2) tract containing 60 mature Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) trees, the largest concentration of giant sequoias in the Sierra National Forest.[1][2] The grove also contains several historical points of interest, including pioneer cabins, giant sequoia stumps left by 19th-century loggers, and the site where the Forest King exhibition tree was felled in 1870 for display.[3]

Before European Americans arrived, Nelder Grove had 400 mature sequoias, but the population has experienced several steep declines since then.[4] About 70% of the mature trees were cut during the late 19th century timber era.[4]: 3  Despite federal protection in the 20th century, the sequoias have been further impacted by decades of fire exclusion, with 38 trees lost in the Railroad Fire of 2017. Today, only 60 mature specimens remain in the grove.[2][5]

In 1928, the Madera Sugar Pine Company transferred the land to the U.S. Forest Service, placing the grove under federal protection.[4]: 93 

Ecology

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Main article: Ecology of the Sierra Nevada

Nelder Grove, a montane forest in the Sierra Nevada, is primarily composed of giant sequoias along with other tree species such as ponderosa pine, white fir, and California incense-cedar.[6] The sequoias in Nelder Grove exhibit a low level of genetic diversity, unusual even for their species. Despite its proximity, just 4.3 mi (6.9 km) from Mariposa Grove, there's no evidence of genetic exchange between the two populations. This genetic isolation heightens Nelder Grove's vulnerability to climate change, underscoring its conservation importance.[7]

The grove also supports rare plant species, including the mountain-lady slipper orchid and the veined water lichen.[8] Its wildlife includes black bear, mule deer, long-tailed weasel, raccoon, gray squirrel, chipmunk, and flying squirrels.[9]

History

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Native people

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Human occupation of Nelder Grove dates back approximately 15,000 years.[10] Historically, the area served as a seasonal hub for the Mono and Miwok tribes during their trans-Sierra travels. Other tribes, including the Dumma, Heuchi, Chuckchansi, Chowchillas, Paiute, Kechayi, and Dalinchi, also traveled through the region. Artifacts such as mortar holes, which were used to grind acorns into flour, are evidence of this longstanding human presence.[4]: 95 

Exploration and naming

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Nelder Tree, 1870.

In July 1858, conservationist Galen Clark formally discovered Nelder Grove, naming it Fresno Grove due to its location in Fresno County and proximity to the headwaters of the Fresno River.[11][12] However, a later discovery in Robert Eccleston's diary revealed that the Mariposa Battalion had already passed through the grove in 1851 during the Mariposa War, a discovery that had not been publicized at the time.[13]

The grove is now named for John A. Nelder, known as the "Hermit of the Fresno Forest" by John Muir.[14] Nelder, who came to California during the 1849 gold rush, filed a homestead claim for 165 acres within the grove in 1874 and built a cabin near its largest tree the following year. Muir wrote about Nelder and the grove for The Atlantic Monthly in 1878, later including it in his book Our National Parks.[15]

Since '49 he had wandered over most of the Sierra, sinking innumerable prospect holes like a sailor making soundings, digging new channels for streams, sifting gold-sprinkled boulder and gravel beds with unquenchable energy, life's noon the meanwhile passing unnoticed into late afternoon shadows. Then, health and gold gone, the game played and lost, like a wounded deer creeping into this forest solitude, he awaits the sundown call.

John Nelder was killed in 1889 when a fire consumed his cabin. His son inherited his estate and deeded it to the Madera Flume and Trading Company in 1892.

Timber era

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See also: Madera Sugar Pine Company

Nelder Grove was subjected to extensive logging in the late 19th century. The Madera Flume and Trading Company logged 277 mature sequoias, each measuring over four feet in diameter, between 1880 and 1892. Many of the surrounding trees, including sugar pines, ponderosa pines, white firs, and incense-cedars were also clearcut.[4]: 3 [16]

The logging process in the grove was grueling, with horse and oxen teams hauling heavy wagons of logs to the mill. The arrival of a Dolbeer single spool donkey, a steam-powered winch, made the work easier in later years. Due to a lack of water in the grove, a 1 mi (1.6 km) long gravity tramway was built to transport the lumber to the Soquel log flume, which then transported it 52 mi (84 km) to the Madera lumber yards, before it finally reached the national market via the Southern Pacific Railroad.[16]

By 1897, the area close to the mill had been completely logged, and the last sequoia in Nelder Grove was cut.[16]

  • The lumber mill at Nelder Grove around 1881.
    The lumber mill at Nelder Grove around 1881.
  • Loggers and their families.
    Loggers and their families.
  • A group portrait portrays the trees' remarkable scale.
    A group portrait portrays the trees' remarkable scale.
  • A state-of-the-art Dolbeer single spool donkey sometime after 1881.
    A state-of-the-art Dolbeer single spool donkey sometime after 1881.
  • The Nelder Grove Tramway.
    The Nelder Grove Tramway.

Noteworthy trees

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The Nelder Grove is home to several giant sequoias that are notable for their size and history.

Tree Name Description Volume Height Circumference Age
Nelder The largest tree in the grove, named after homesteader John Nelder who built a cabin near its base in 1875. It is the 22nd largest giant sequoia in the world.[4]: 89, 219  34,993 cubic feet (990.9 m3)
Forest King This giant sequoia was cut down in 1870 and toured the United States as an exhibition tree. The stump was rediscovered in 2003.
Bull Buck[17] Named after the felling foreman of the logging camp or "boss of the woods." Once believed to be the world's second-largest tree, now ranked 43rd on the list of largest giant sequoias.[18][19] 27,383 cuft (775.4 m3) 75.01 metres (246.1 ft) 25.65 metres (84.2 ft) 2724 years
Old Grandad The tree, perched on a hill, is dead with a hollow top and has four prominent fire scars.
Old Forester The tallest tree in the Nelder Grove campground area, named after Walter Puhn, a National Forest Supervisor in the 1960s. 91 metres (299 ft)
Big Ed Named after Ed Zerlang, a Soquel Mill foreman and his favorite giant sequoia. Reachable by a short trail today.[20][21]

Access

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Nelder Grove is less accessible compared to the nearby Mariposa Grove, which can be easily reached by paved roads and shuttle buses. Under favorable conditions, visitors can reach Nelder Grove within two hours from Fresno by heading north, or from Yosemite National Park by traveling south on Highway 41 to Road 632, also known as Sky Ranch Road. However, the dirt road leading into the grove can be difficult, with muddy and rutted conditions, and is often impassable due to deep snow during the winter months.[22]

Hiking and Recreation

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The Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail, located in Nelder Grove, was built in 1965 and designated a National Recreation Trail in 1978.[23] However, the Railroad Fire in 2015 destroyed the trail’s informational panels, bridges, and other infrastructure. As of 2022, the trail remains closed and overgrown with brush.[24]

Additionally, there is a Sierra National Forest campground located at the Nelder Grove which serves as a spot for camping and outdoor activities.

Structures and Buildings

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Bildeo Meadow Cabin

The Nelder Grove Interpretive Center features several artifacts from the area's logging era, including two restored log cabins and replicas of traditional logging chutes.[25] These cabins, originally constructed by pioneers in the late 1800s at nearby Bildeo Meadow, were moved to Nelder Grove in the 1980s under a project funded by the National Historic Preservation Act.[26] They are among the oldest structures in the Sierra National Forest.[27]

Railroad Fire

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In September 2017, the Railroad Fire swept through much of Nelder Grove, destroying 38 of its giant sequoias and leading to the permanent closure of the popular Shadow of the Giants trail.[28][29][30][31][32]

Experts attribute the wildfire’s intensity to several factors, including the historic 2011–2017 California drought, which caused significant dieback and stress in giant sequoias.[33] Additionally, a century of fire suppression had led to heavy fuel buildup on the forest floor and dense understory growth, making the blaze more destructive.[34][35][36]

Forest monitors had warned of such risks for decades. As early as the 1960s, Madera County discussed acquiring the grove to bypass federal restrictions on timber cutting and prescribed burns in the Sierra National Forest.[37] Despite these warnings, no major preventive actions were taken before the Railroad Fire. “We’d better reduce the fuels, or we’re going to lose this resource,” Paul Rich, a retired 33-year veteran of the U.S. Forest Service, warned in 2000.[38]

  • Fire burning in Nelder Grove on September 10, 2017.
    Fire burning in Nelder Grove on September 10, 2017.
  • Resource Advisors (READ) from the National Park Service apply fire-resistant wrap to a historic Bildeo cabin.[27]
    Resource Advisors (READ) from the National Park Service apply fire-resistant wrap to a historic Bildeo cabin.[27]
  • Firefighters pose atop a giant sequoia stump.
    Firefighters pose atop a giant sequoia stump.
  • Portions of Nelder Grove became a snag forest after exposure to high intensity wildfire.
    Portions of Nelder Grove became a snag forest after exposure to high intensity wildfire.

Protection and Restoration Efforts

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Following the Railroad Fire, researchers noted a strong correlation between fire severity and the density, growth, and dominance of new giant sequoia seedlings.[39] The successful natural regeneration of these seedlings provides hope for restoring other groves with large burn scars.[40]

In July 2022, the U.S. Forest Service authorized an expedited Emergency Response plan to reduce combustible materials in Nelder Grove. Officials aim to replicate the success of wildfire prevention efforts seen in nearby Mariposa Grove during the 2022 Washburn Fire.[41] As part of the initiative, 42 mature giant sequoias now have a 100-foot protective buffer.[42]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Chapter 3 - Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences". Final Environmental Statement (Technical report). Vol. 1. Clovis, California: The U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2010.
  2. ^ a b Stephenson, Nathan; Brigham, Christy (June 25, 2021). "Preliminary estimates of sequoia mortality in the 2020 Castle Fire" (PDF). U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center: 8. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  3. ^ Lowe, Gary D. (2004). The Big Tree Exhibits of 1870-1871 and the Roots of the Giant Sequoia Preservation Movement. Livermore, California: Lowebros Publishing.
  4. ^ a b c d e f Negley, Brenda L. (2016). Nelder Grove of Giant Sequoias: A Granddaughter's Stories. Otter Bay Books. ISBN 978-0-578-18029-8.
  5. ^ Hussain, Judi (February 16, 2024). "Scenic Byway Association Holds Status Meeting". Sierra News Online. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  6. ^ "Nelder Grove of Giant Sequoias Bass Lake Ranger Districts" (PDF). USDA.gov. January 13, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  7. ^ DeSilva, Rainbow; Dodd, Richard S. (2016). Variation in Genetic Structure and Gene Flow Across the Range of Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia) (PDF). Proceedings of the Coast Redwood Science Symposium. Eureka, California.
  8. ^ "Nelder Grove". Forest Service U.S. Department of Agriculture. U.S. Forest Service. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  9. ^ "Nelder Grove "Primeval Lag & Enchanted Mystery" Tree". Sierra News Online. July 26, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
  10. ^ Lee, Galen D. (1999). Walking Where We Lived: Memoirs of a Mono Indian Family. University of Oklahoma Press. ISBN 978-0806131689.
  11. ^ Tweed, William C. (October 1, 2016). King Sequoia: The Tree That Inspired a Nation, Created Our National Park System, and Changed the Way We Think about Nature. Heyday. p. 33.
  12. ^ Lowe, Gary D.; Carpenter, John (2017). Clark's Ranch: From Homestead to Big Tree Station – Galen Clark's Portal to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia, 1856-1879 (PDF). Stanford Digital Library Edition. p. 7. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  13. ^ Eccleston, Robert (1957). C. Gregory Crampton (ed.). The Mariposa War, 1850-1851. University of Utah Press.
  14. ^ Johnston, Hank (1995). Thunder in the Mountains: The Life and Times of Madera Sugar Pine. Stauffer Publishing. ISBN 978-0870460173.
  15. ^ Muir, John. "Chapter IX, The Sequoia and General Grant National Parks". Our National Parks. ISBN 0585117012. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11.
  16. ^ a b c Johnston, Hank (1968). Thunder in the Mountains: The Life and Times of Madera Sugar Pine. Trans-Anglo Books. pp. 11, 22–23. ISBN 0-87046-017-X.
  17. ^ "Giant Sequoia 'Bull Buck' at Nelder Grove, Kern, California, United States". Monumental Trees. Retrieved 2024-02-04.
  18. ^ Altschuler, Stephen (February 23, 1992). "Madera's 'Bull Buck': The Buddha of Big Trees : The world's second-largest tree is far from the madding crowd in Nelder Grove". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  19. ^ Sierra National Forest (September 4, 1975). Bull Buck Tree (Sierra National Forest Marker). Nelder Grove, Madera County, CA: United States Forest Service.
  20. ^ "Friends of Nelder Grove - Names of Trees". neldergrove.org. Friends of Nelder Grove. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  21. ^ "Big Ed Tree Trail in Sierra National Forest". hikespeak.com. Hikespeak. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  22. ^ "Nelder Grove of Giant Sequoias". Yosemite Hikes. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
  23. ^ "Shadow of the Giants Trail in Sierra National Forest". hikespeak.com. Hikespeak. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  24. ^ Ide, Richard; Ide, Kathy (June 12, 2022). "Nelder Grove". Sequoia Quest. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  25. ^ "About the Grove". Friends of Nelder Grove. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  26. ^ Pavlik, Robert C. (Spring 1988). "Disappearing Pioneer Cabins" (PDF). Yosemite Association.
  27. ^ a b "To Shield Historic Cabins From Wildfire, Wrap Them in Foil". Atlas Obscura. September 6, 2017. Retrieved January 22, 2022.
  28. ^ Wamsley, Laurel. "Western Wildfires Endanger Beloved Sites At National Parks". NPR. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  29. ^ Branch, John. "They're Among the World's Oldest Living Things. The Climate Crisis is Killing Them". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  30. ^ Kohlruss, Carmen (2021-11-19). "Severe fire can be good for giant sequoias. The 'hopeful' new research -- and a giant debate". Fresno Bee. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  31. ^ Gould, Dean (May 22, 2018). "Forest Order No. 05-15-51-18-01 - Shadow of the Giants National Recreation Trail Closure" (PDF). United States Department of Agriculture.
  32. ^ Shrable, John. "After The Fire: Nelder Grove of Giant Sequoias". KSEE24. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  33. ^ Stephenson, Nathan (May 30, 2019). "Giant sequoia responses to extreme drought". Earth Science Matters Newsletter (Spring 2019). Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  34. ^ Keifer, M.; van Wagtendonk, J.W.; Buhler, M. (June 1, 2006). "Long-term surface fuel accumulation in burned and unburned mixed-conifer forests of the Central and Southern Sierra Nevada, CA (USA)". Fire Ecology. 2: 53–72. doi:10.4996/fireecology.0201053. S2CID 17508500.
  35. ^ Clugston, Gina (August 29, 2019). "The Railroad Fire And Nelder Grove One Year Later". Sierra News Online. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  36. ^ "Ancient trees and modern wildfires: Declining resilience to wildfire in the highly fire-adapted giant sequoia". Forest Ecology and Management. May 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022. Nelder Grove has no documented fire history after the onset of fire exclusion.
  37. ^ "Supervisors Showing Interest in Acquiring Nelder Redwood Grove". Madera Tribune. Madera, California. July 27, 1961. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  38. ^ McCarthy, Charles (2000-05-01). "Underbrush ignites fears of fire in Nelder Grove Potential for uncontrolled blaze puts sequoias at risk". The Fresno Bee.
  39. ^ Hanson, Chad T.; Chi, Tonja Y.; Baker, Bryant C.; Khosla, Maya; Dorsey, Michael K. (April 3, 2024). "Postfire reproduction of a serotinous conifer, the giant sequoia, in the Nelder Grove, California". Ecology and Evolution. doi:10.1002/ece3.11213. PMC 10990047.
  40. ^ Kohlruss, Carmen (May 22, 2022). "'Time to act.' What's rising from the ashes of major giant sequoia wildfires in California". The Fresno Bee. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  41. ^ "Giant Sequoia Emergency Response". US Forest Service.
  42. ^ "Hazardous Fuels Reduction Work To Begin In Nelder Grove". Sierra News Online. August 19, 2022. Retrieved August 27, 2022. The recent Washburn wildfire in the Mariposa Grove of Yosemite National Park, east of Wawona, has shown the effectiveness of fuels treatments in and around giant sequoia redwood groves.
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