Wow...This 3200 Year Old Tree Is So Huge It's Never Been Captured In A Single Image. Until Now.

It takes a special kind of tree to have a nickname.

Source: National Geographic

"The President" is one of those trees. The giant sequoia stands 247 feet tall, measures 45,000 cubic feet in volume, and is an estimated 3,200 years old.

Source: YouTube

The trunk is 27 feet wide and the his mighty branches hold 2 billion needles, the most of any tree on the planet.


Source: YouTube

On top of that, he still adds one cubic meter of wood per year - making him one of the fastest growing trees in the world.

Giant sequoias exist in only one place, where The President and smaller trees that make up his "House" and "Senate", reside.

On the western slope of the Sierra Nevadas in California, at 5000-8000 ft above sea level.

Until now, the tree had never been photographed in its entirety.

A team of photographers from National Geographic worked with scientists from the park to be the first.

Source: YouTube

It took an intricate set of pulleys and levers to scale the tree, which some argue is the largest in the world (taking width into account).

Source: YouTube

After 32 days and stitching together 126 separate photos, we are left with this breathtaking portrait of The President.

Source: dailymail.co.uk

Absolutely incredible. To see how it was done, check out this video: Source: YouTube

Although we like to think humans are greatest species on earth, The President gives us a stoic reality check by dwarfing these scientists with his enormous trunk. In his 3200 years, he has seen a hundred generations of humans come and go. He has weathered thousands of storms, fires, harsh winters, earthquakes, and even climate change - but is growing even faster than ever before.

To visit the "Giant Forest" at Sequoia National Park and witness the majesty in person, more info here. Share his story with others by clicking below!

ORIGINAL: Distractify

By Olivia Brindley 

March 4, 2014