The giant sequoia is a gentle giant. If you strike its bark with your fist, you encounter unusually soft, yielding fibres. Some of these evergreen specimens are up to 1,500 years old. The tree at the Roggenläger parking area in the Stolberg Forest is at least 120 years old. Large, even larger and even the largest or tall, even taller and the tallest if you either count diameter or height - giant sequoias are the record-holders among trees. They impress with heights of around 100 meters and diameters between six and eight meters. Their thick, fibrous, soft, completely resin-free bark, which is a striking feature. This protects the giant sequoia from forest fires and explains why it can live to such an immense age. They are native to the mild climate of the Californian Sierra Nevada. It was not until the 19th century that the first giant sequoias arrived in Europe, where they were mostly planted as solitary specimens in parks. The fact that they can also be found in the forest near the Roggenläger parking area is thanks to forester Hugo Banehl. His military background likely shaped Banehl’s approach to his work as a municipal forester in the Büsbach and Breinig forests, where he served from 1883 to 1912. Contemporaries described him as a "tall, imposing man with a rigid, proud bearing and piercing eyes." In the forest, he was feared as a strict warden; he reported anyone he caught, whether they be timber thieves or herdsmen to be punished "without leniency“. During his time in Stolberg, an “adventurous inheritance journey” allowed him to travel to the US. He brought back a remarkable souvenir from the US: giant sequoia cuttings. The exotic saplings took root and flourished into imposing trees. The most massive tree in the collection stands right next to the Roggenläger parking area. Although its current height can unfortunately not been measured, its trunk circumference has been measured at 5.20 meters and is on it’s way to become a record holder. Today we celebrate this remarkable tree with some HDR images. For more images or information on the Giant Sequoia please click on one of the links below: