e been known to be carried by flood. "Perhaps the best known and most classical grove extension is along the South Fork of the Kaweah River below Garfield Grove. A dozen sequoias line the river bank…. The altitude is the lowest known in the world for a naturally seeded giant sequoia. An increment boring indicates that this tree was seeded in the middle 1880s, when a torrential flood also floated huge Sequoia logs through the town of Visalia some 40 miles to the west of San Joaquin Valley." 10
The young seedling puts down a tap root four to five inches long which may penetrate to 10-15 inches at one year. "At the sapling stage, the root system has spread out laterally and the taproot is gone." On mature trees, the root system may spread out as much as 125 feet from the tree, although the average radius is 40-50 feet. "The shallow depth of the roots of so large a tree surprises nearly all park visitors. How do such trees remain standing without a deeper anchoring root system? ... The trees, it seems, would need to be well balanced to maintain their equilibrium. ... But the number of leaners is surprising." 11 The root system is not only shallow ... the roots soak up moisture like sponges, according to John Muir.
In summary we find:
For some unknown reason, giant sequoias can only be traced back 3200-plus years with specimens in the recent record. Yet this species is found plentifully in the fossil record over a great deal of the earth's surface.
Their disappearance is not likely to have been because of disease, insect infestation or fire, inasmuch as they are very resistant to these. (Note: a fire great enough to totally destroy the trees would also have been sufficient to have destroyed their seeds, as well, it would seem.) Another catastrophe that could account for the sudden discontinuation of trees and dinosaurs ... and pterodactyls ... and men ... is a powerful flood.
The history of a giant sequoia seed from cone to sapling shows that:
- The cones could have survived flooding up to 21 years—the Noahic flood lasted only 371-376 days.
- Flooding has been shown to have been instrumental in disseminating seeds. The worldwide Noahic flood eventually receded, finally approximating the conditions of a local flood.
The development of the young tree utilizes shallow alluvium for germination, putting down a temporary tap root until a shallow but wide-spread root system can develop. This would make development of the mature tree easier in post-flood conditions.
Although capable of living indefinitely, the greatest age of the giant sequoia is somewhere near 4000 years old, making its reappearance on the earth about 2000 B.C.— just at the time the greatest historical authority, the Bible, puts it.
In conclusion, it would seem that the history and growing habits of the living giant sequoia fit well with the story of the flood, thus:
|1. Destroyed every living thing||1. Widespread discovery of fossils pre 2000 B.C.|
|2. Lasted approximately one year||2. Cones may remain on a tree for as long as 21 years|
|3. Receded, leaving alluvial soil and other conditions suitable for seed germination||3. Seeds need just the kind of soil the flood left|
|4. There were, no doubt, crevices and hillsides with shallow soil deposits||4. Sequoias grow mostly on granite-based residual and alluvial soil, on metamorphosed basalt, on soil derived from schistose rock|
|5. As the Noahic flood receded, it would have sown seeds just as happened in the 1880s||5. The Kaweah River area and along the tributary of Rattlesnake Creek show flood dispersals|
|6. Occurred about 2000 B.C.||6. Began growing about 4000 years ago|
Has God given us in the giant sequoia a timepiece by which we may estimate when the flood occurred? What might we discover through a more thorough investigation into the history of the giant sequoia of the Sierra Nevadas? Speaking of another kind of tree, our God once said, "Hast thou not heard how I made it long ago and formed it of ancient times?" (II Kings 19:25)
1. Richard J. Hartesveldt, joint author, The Giant Sequoia of the Sierra Nevadas,