The biggest western juniper."Like a rock," says the truck ad, describing this enduring champion's granitic existence over as many as 60 centuries. John Muir observed that the western juniper "dies standing, and wastes insensibly in·sen·si·ble adj. 1. a. Imperceptible; inappreciable: an insensible change in temperature. b. Very small or gradual: insensible movement. out of existence like granite." In fact, many junipers also exhibit granitic durability in life, rivaling the bristlecone pines in longevity. These stout and sturdy trees, twisted and stunted like bonsai bonsai (bōn`sī), art of cultivating dwarf trees. Bonsai, developed by the Japanese more than a thousand years ago, is derived from the Chinese practice of growing miniature plants. by the unforgiving elements of the Sierra Nevada Sierra Nevada, mountain range, Spain Sierra Nevada (syā`rä nāvä`thä), chief mountain range of S Spain, in Granada prov., running from east to west for c.60 mi (100 km), parallel to the Mediterranean Sea. , seem more like geologic extrusions than living organisms. The champion western juniper was named after Clarence Bennett, a naturalist who devoted much of his life to the study of this species. Aside from its recognition as the biggest western juniper, the Bennett juniper is a tree of many superlatives. It ranks 14th, in points, among all champion trees. Only seven champions have a greater girth GIRTH., A girth or yard is a measure of length. The word is of Saxon origin, taken from the circumference of the human body. Girth is contracted from girdeth, and signifies as much as girdle. See Ell. . It is one of the four surviving members of the first National Register of Big Trees The National Register of Big Trees is a list of the largest living specimens of each tree variety found in the continental United States. A tree on this list is often called a National Champion Tree. , established in 1940. And it is probably the oldest champion of them all. Estimates of its age vary from 3,000 to 6,000 years old. A fallen branch only three inches in diameter contained 550 annual rings annual rings, the growth layers of wood that are produced each year in the stems and roots of trees and shrubs. In climates with well-marked alternations of seasons (either cold and warm or wet and dry), the wood cells produced when water is easily available and . It took 700-1,000 years for the tree to add the outer foot of its 13-foot diameter. Of all the storms, fires, and droughts this old patriarch has weathered in over a million days of stubborn existence, none could compare to the modern threat of axes and chain saws. Thankfully, in 1978 rancher and owner Joe Martin donated the Bennett juniper and three acres surrounding it to the Nature Conservancy Nature Conservancy, nonprofit organization established in 1951 to preserve or aid in the preservation of natural environments. It protects wilderness areas in the United States and Canada and is affiliated with similar groups in Latin America and the Caribbean. . Since then, protectorship has been passed on to the Save-the-Redwoods League which continues to ensure that our oldest champion tree will endure like granite for centuries to come.
Common Name Western Juniper
Scientific Name Juniperus occidentalis
Location Stanislaus National Forest,
Calif.
Nominator J.R. Hall
Owner Save-the-Redwoods League
Most Recent Measurement 1983
Circumference at 4 1/2 feet 480 in.
Height 86 ft.
Crown Spread 58 ft.
Total Points 581
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