Placer County Big Trees Grove
Placer County Big Trees Grove
Overview
Health & Resilience Summary
low
0.0
This grove is ranked Low for Relative Overall Vulnerability due to:
Wildfire Vulnerability
Low - 0.0
Regen Vulnerability
Low - 0.0
See the Grove Health & Resilience section below for more information.
low
0.0
This grove is ranked Low for Relative Management Priority due to:
Overall Vulnerability
Low - 0.0
Treatment Feasibility
Poor - 0.8
See the Management Considerations section below for more information.
Grove Map
Grove Map - click map for more detailed spatial information
Grove Information
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Grove Size (Acres) | 3 |
| Location | North Fork American Watershed, Placer County |
| Management Unit(s) | Tahoe National Forest |
| Land Steward(s) | USFS TNF |
About Placer County Big Trees Grove
Placer County Big Trees Grove is quite small, only occuping three acres in the Central Sierra Watershed region. It is situated between 5,170 - 5,246 feet elevation at 39.05704 °N and is managed by the Tahoe National Forest. The grove is located in an unnamed small tributary drainage to the Middle Fork of the American River. It is the northernmost giant sequoia grove and contains only six living sequoias, all of which can be found within a 200-foot radius. Placer County Grove is rather isolated, as it is about 60 air miles away from the nearest sequoia grove - North Calaveras Grove. Almost the entire area within Placer County Grove was lost in the Mosquito Fire. Giant sequoias are alive and well, but there are very few of them. The forest surrounding the sequoias is currently dead or dying.
Placer County Big Trees Grove
Health & Resilience
Placer County Big Trees Grove is ranked Low for Relative Overall Vulnerability because it is at a Low risk of being negatively impacted by the effects of severe wildfire and at Low risk for inadequate natural regeneration.
Additionally, Placer County Big Trees Grove is at Moderate risk for negative impacts from drought stress, Low levels of tree mortality have been detected in the grove, and the presence and activity of beetles in the grove is Suspected. 0% of Placer County Big Trees Grove has burned in large fires since 1984. See below for more detailed information.
low
0.0
Relative Overall Vulnerability
Relative Overall Vulnerability is based on Wildfire Vulnerability and Regeneration Vulnerability using an area-weighted calculation. See Grove Assessment Analysis Methods for more details.
The pie charts below provide the percentage of the grove with high, medium, and low vulnerabilities. Click on the charts to view interactive maps of these vulnerabilities within the grove.
Below is additional information about Placer County Big Trees Grove's Health & Resilience. These data, their inputs, and any available notes and updates may be found in the Grove Resilience Datasheet.
Beetle Activity
Beetle Activity in Placer County Big Trees Grove is suspected, needs to be surveyed.
Please see the Grove Resilience Datasheet for details.
Drought-related Tree Mortality (all species)
The drought- and insect-related mortality of all tree species combined in Placer County Big Trees Grove is estimated as Low according to USFS dead canopy surveys from 2017-2021. Please see Grove Assessment Analysis Methods for details.
The table below provides information about large wildfires in this grove recorded since 1984. See this map of wildfires and locations of high severity fire.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| % of grove burned | 0% |
| % of grove unburned | 100% |
| Fire Return Interval Departure | High |
Placer County Big Trees Grove
Management Considerations
Placer County Big Trees Grove is ranked Low for Relative Management Priority because it has Low Relative Overall Vulnerability and Poor feasibility for implementing management actions toward restoration goals.
Additionally, the grove is 11.6 miles from a community and is 0.1 miles from recreational infrastructure. Accessing the grove is difficult. Roads need to be rebuilt before it can be accessed, but that may take years. The grove has Spotted Owl and Goshawk PACs. See below for more detailed information.
low
0.0
Relative Management Priority
Relative Management Priority is determined by combining the Relative Overall Vulnerability and Treatment Feasibility ranks. See Grove Assessment Analysis Methods for more details.
Relative Overall Vulnerability
Low - 0.0
See the Health & Resilience section above for the component metrics for the Relative Overall Vulnerability rank.
Treatment Feasibility
poor - 0.8
| Factor | Value |
|---|---|
| Special Land Designation | Placer County Big Tree Grove Botanical Area |
| Grove Manager Opinion | Fuel Treatments are Unlikely or Prohibited |
| Remote | No |
Below is additional information relevant to Placer County Big Trees Grove's Management Considerations. These data, their inputs, and any available notes and updates may be found in the Grove Resilience Datasheet.
Treatment History
The table below lists treatment projects in and 90 meters around this grove implemented since 2022. See this map of grove treatments.
| Treatment Type | % of Grove | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Treatments | 0% | 0 |
| Prescribed Fire | 0% | 0 |
| Pile Treatments | 0% | 0 |
| Pile Burns | 0% | 0 |
| Replanting | 0% | 0 |
Management Recommendations
The table below provides an estimate of the percentage and acreage of the grove that are recommended for evaluation for treatment based on the Vulnerability Models. See this map of Grove Vulnerability Models.
| Treatment Need | % of Grove | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| Fuels Reduction/Restoration | 0% | 0 |
| Reforestation | 0% | 0 |
Placer County Big Trees Grove
References
- Willard, D. 1994. Giant Sequoia Groves of the Sierra Nevada: A Reference Guide.
- Giant Sequoia Health & Resilience Assessment Glossary
- How to Use the Giant Sequoia Health & Resilience Assessment
- Giant Sequoia Health & Resilience Assessment Analysis Methods
Find more giant sequoia science by searching the GSLC Scientific Publications Library.
Explore more groves or learn about the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition.
Disclaimer
The information presented in the Giant Sequoia Grove Health & Resilience Assessment is intended to supplement on-the-ground knowledge of giant sequoia groves for use in conjunction with current on-the-ground knowledge of grove condition and management activities when planning fuel treatment and reforestation projects. It should not be considered the only source of information about the condition of groves.