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King Sequoia: The Tree That Inspired a Nation, Created Our National Park System, and Changed the Way We Think about Nature
The history of California’s Big Trees
From a towering tree, one of California’s preeminent naturalists unspools a history that echoes across generations and continents. Former park ranger William C. Tweed takes readers on a tour of the Big Trees in a narrative that travels deep into the Sierras, around the West, and all the way to New Zealand; and in doing so he explores the American public’s evolving relationship with sequoias. It comes as no surprise that the groves in Yosemite and Calaveras were early tourist destinations, as this species that predated Christ and loomed over all the world’s other trees was the embodiment of California’s superlative, almost unbelievable appeal. When sequoias were threatened by logging interests, the feelings of horror that this desecration evoked in people catalyzed protection efforts; in a very direct way, this species inspired the Park Idea. And sequoias’ influence doesn’t end there: as science evolved to consider landscapes more holistically, sequoias were once again at the heart of this attitudinal shift. Featuring an entrancing cast of adventurers, researchers, politicians, and environmentalists, King Sequoia reveals how one tree species has transformed Americans’ connection to the natural world.
Published in collaboration with Sierra College Press
From a towering tree, one of California’s preeminent naturalists unspools a history that echoes across generations and continents. Former park ranger William C. Tweed takes readers on a tour of the Big Trees in a narrative that travels deep into the Sierras, around the West, and all the way to New Zealand; and in doing so he explores the American public’s evolving relationship with sequoias. It comes as no surprise that the groves in Yosemite and Calaveras were early tourist destinations, as this species that predated Christ and loomed over all the world’s other trees was the embodiment of California’s superlative, almost unbelievable appeal. When sequoias were threatened by logging interests, the feelings of horror that this desecration evoked in people catalyzed protection efforts; in a very direct way, this species inspired the Park Idea. And sequoias’ influence doesn’t end there: as science evolved to consider landscapes more holistically, sequoias were once again at the heart of this attitudinal shift. Featuring an entrancing cast of adventurers, researchers, politicians, and environmentalists, King Sequoia reveals how one tree species has transformed Americans’ connection to the natural world.
Published in collaboration with Sierra College Press
288 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2016
34 people are currently reading
691 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
January 14, 2019
This is a very well-written history of the King Sequoia. I didn't realize that the sequoias were subjected to the logging industry and audacious capitalists. It really saddened me to think that such majestic beauties were spoiled by man's need to make money. In the end, I was glad to see that the laws that exist today to restore and maintain the beauty of the King Sequoia. Overall, it was a great history of the King Sequioa and how it inspired the creation of the National Park System.
August 2, 2017
I thoroughly enjoyed this book; it has all the things I take a great interest in: science, California history, American history, the environment and political shenanigans. Fascinating also as to how the Park Service came to be. But really, this book is an ode to the reverence of these magnificent trees.
November 25, 2017
The author weaves an interesting mix of personal narrative and historical prose to chronicle the history of North America's most iconic tree. It is well researched and provides an undeniable sense of place, but the exposition feels forced at times and beleaguered during others as if he cannot decide if he wishes to discuss a topic or save it for a later chapter. This leaves many paragraphs, even chapters, feeling unfinished. Still, it is a solid book and I would recommend it to anyone with an interest in the Sierra Nevada, botany, history of the Park Service, or public land management.
July 1, 2023
When I learned I was going to be a campground host in Sequoia National Park I searched for books on sequoias and the Sierra Nevada in general. I was a bit surprised how little literature is available.
This book is precisely what I was looking for. It provides a history of the giant sequoia since the arrival of the white man (which is quite the tale) and the creation of the park (along with Kings Canyon). Great read for anyone who plans to visit, has an interest in the big trees or the history of the U.S. national park system. This book is not too heavy on the science, but it is heavy on history and protection efforts (including the failed strategy of a century of not allowing fires to burn)
Bill Tweed, now retired, was a ranger here for decades and appears to be the preeminent expert on sequoias (He is also highly regarded by and referenced many times in Stan Robinson's book on the High Sierra which has nothing to do with sequoias). A few days after arriving to Sequoia NP I was speaking with park employees about this book and they informed he was in my campground and gave a talk the night prior. Sad I missed him and hope to have the opportunity to hear him speak, but either way, I will likely read more of his books.
This book is precisely what I was looking for. It provides a history of the giant sequoia since the arrival of the white man (which is quite the tale) and the creation of the park (along with Kings Canyon). Great read for anyone who plans to visit, has an interest in the big trees or the history of the U.S. national park system. This book is not too heavy on the science, but it is heavy on history and protection efforts (including the failed strategy of a century of not allowing fires to burn)
Bill Tweed, now retired, was a ranger here for decades and appears to be the preeminent expert on sequoias (He is also highly regarded by and referenced many times in Stan Robinson's book on the High Sierra which has nothing to do with sequoias). A few days after arriving to Sequoia NP I was speaking with park employees about this book and they informed he was in my campground and gave a talk the night prior. Sad I missed him and hope to have the opportunity to hear him speak, but either way, I will likely read more of his books.
February 5, 2017
Goodreads Giveaway - King Sequoia is a history of the Sequoia groves in California from their "rediscovery" during the northern California Gold Rush of the 1840s up to the executive action of former President Clinton. The prose is workman like but lends well to the chronological nature of the book; if you're looking for flowery prose, go read John Muir's works. The underlying environmental theme of the social consideration of the "Big Trees" from natural resources to natural oddities and curiosities to sacred avatars of nature itself is truly the heart of the book, and the chronology is just the vehicle to move the theme. If the environment, nature writing, or California history are interests, this book is definitely recommended.
September 1, 2019
Entertaining, informative, and emotional. Like a less labor intensive field or travel guide. Appropriate for someone gearing up for a trip or someone who’s been before. Should be a Californian or NP lover must read. I came for the tree appreciation but left with more than I anticipated. Side note: I was Fortunate enough to scoop up at the Henry Miller Library in Big Sur in a last grab, glad I did.
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March 10, 2017634.9758 T9711 2016
December 13, 2019
People of European descent have been fascinated by the big trees since the beginning of their arrival in California. These incredible trees have inspired us and were perhaps the catalyst that started an environmental movement in America. A park ranger who spent much time among the trees, William C. Tweed outlines a saga from trees as tourist attraction, to an exploitable resource, and the resultant public outcry against their destruction that eventually led to saving them.
The reader will gain insight into forest management practices, such as fire management, and whether to have lodges in the midst of such special places. The book features expected characters such as John Muir, but unbelievably left out such important characters as Julia "Butterly" Hill.
King Sequoia looks at the human relationship with these trees (I should say European relationship) and shows how these trees impacted our intellectual and political view of saving nature. A decent read.
The reader will gain insight into forest management practices, such as fire management, and whether to have lodges in the midst of such special places. The book features expected characters such as John Muir, but unbelievably left out such important characters as Julia "Butterly" Hill.
King Sequoia looks at the human relationship with these trees (I should say European relationship) and shows how these trees impacted our intellectual and political view of saving nature. A decent read.
September 29, 2022
Pretty much just a historical account for how the groves came to be recognized, how the forest is important, and how the trees are very significant both historically and scientifically.
It can be a dry read if you’re not interested in very detailed accounts of history and protecting nature. I personally made it my travel companion, anytime I went on a trip I specifically took this book.
It has notes, with very detailed paragraphs for chapters, it has a bibliography, and an index. It also has a handful of photographs for the history of the parks and maps.
I did feel the times that the author took a more personal approach to writing this book. While it did have very detailed accounts and sections, you could still feel his ire at how long it takes to get anything done. You could sense how he was getting tired with how the government treated the forest and how history hasn’t been kind to it.
It’s a very good book if you enjoy the history of honestly a worldwide landmark.
It can be a dry read if you’re not interested in very detailed accounts of history and protecting nature. I personally made it my travel companion, anytime I went on a trip I specifically took this book.
It has notes, with very detailed paragraphs for chapters, it has a bibliography, and an index. It also has a handful of photographs for the history of the parks and maps.
I did feel the times that the author took a more personal approach to writing this book. While it did have very detailed accounts and sections, you could still feel his ire at how long it takes to get anything done. You could sense how he was getting tired with how the government treated the forest and how history hasn’t been kind to it.
It’s a very good book if you enjoy the history of honestly a worldwide landmark.
January 9, 2019
King Sequoia offers a comprehensive survey of Earth’s largest and oldest organism, beginning with the “discovery” and exploitation of the California Redwood by Euro-Americans in the mid- 1800s and ending with a contemporary, conservative appreciation for its genus. A naturalist with the National Park Service, Tweed conveys a respect for the magnificent trees through his even reporting of their history. He details their transcendence from commercial logging source to common tourist attraction to revered natural icon, detailing how the status of Big Tree groves has been socio-politically oriented by public attitude for nearly two decades. Spanning this timeline, the narrative includes tantalizing information about key players and influences pertaining to our relationship with the awesome Sequoias.
June 5, 2024
The author starts the book with Euro-American contact with the sequoia gigantea of the Sierra Nevadas in California, saying that he’s skipping indigenous understanding of the trees due to white people’s genocide against the American Indians. This feels like a cop-out, however, an excuse not to do some research. Yes, nearly all of California’s native population was wiped out by European or white American invaders, but there were usually survivors. Yes, whites did their best to exterminate not only indigenous people but also language and culture, yet American Indians are still alive across California and they have retained as much of their culture as they can. He should have tried to interview a few tribes about their beliefs about the redwoods, and any knowledge they were able to save about how their peoples used to live in regards to these magnificent trees. In chapter nine he mentions two tribes specifically when he discusses how tribes used to do regular controlled burns as part of healthy forest regulation, so why didn’t he interview members of those tribes? In a similar vein, when he discusses the creation of Yosemite National Park, he completely skips over the tragic and violent forced removal of the indigenous populations that lived all over the area so that white people could move in to enjoy their new park.
The book is very depressing to read, particularly if you love redwoods as I do (my favorite tree; I grew up in a young, second growth redwood forest). It is a litany of white people destroying redwoods for the first third of the book. Cutting redwoods is extremely wasteful, as half the tree shatters as it crashes to the ground, making the destruction even more upsetting for how wasteful and unnecessary it is (they destroyed the trees without profit, literally no good reason.) I’m a historian, so upsetting history is no surprise to me, but that’s not what I came to this book hoping to find.
I was hoping for chapters on the ecology of the trees: the other plant and animal lives they support, the unique ecology to be found hundreds of feet off the ground. This book does not have that. The book also only covers the sequoia gigantea, not any of the coast redwoods or sequoia sempervirons, my personal favorite (taller rather than wider). The book goes all the way up to the 2010s, but consistently focuses on white people’s interactions with the trees, logging and tourism, and doesn’t share any of the science I was hoping for, nor discussion of anything to do with coastal sequoia senpervirons. I guess I should have dug further into the content matter of the book before purchasing.
The book is very depressing to read, particularly if you love redwoods as I do (my favorite tree; I grew up in a young, second growth redwood forest). It is a litany of white people destroying redwoods for the first third of the book. Cutting redwoods is extremely wasteful, as half the tree shatters as it crashes to the ground, making the destruction even more upsetting for how wasteful and unnecessary it is (they destroyed the trees without profit, literally no good reason.) I’m a historian, so upsetting history is no surprise to me, but that’s not what I came to this book hoping to find.
I was hoping for chapters on the ecology of the trees: the other plant and animal lives they support, the unique ecology to be found hundreds of feet off the ground. This book does not have that. The book also only covers the sequoia gigantea, not any of the coast redwoods or sequoia sempervirons, my personal favorite (taller rather than wider). The book goes all the way up to the 2010s, but consistently focuses on white people’s interactions with the trees, logging and tourism, and doesn’t share any of the science I was hoping for, nor discussion of anything to do with coastal sequoia senpervirons. I guess I should have dug further into the content matter of the book before purchasing.
April 19, 2018
Fabulous history of the giant sequoia tree, from it's discovery in the 1850s to today. It's evident that Mr. Tweed has a passionate love for these trees, and a long history spent among them. I appreciated his viewpoints, both of the botanical aspects of the trees, and the political struggles that they evoked. Very enjoyable, and enlightening. Highly recommended!
March 12, 2019
Very interesting and enjoyable. I would have liked a little more botany, but that wasn't the author's focus or intent. More of a human and social history of the giant Sequoia tree. Well written and inspiring.
September 24, 2024
A fascinating body of work that encompasses our Sequoia's and our trees throughout the US. This has the history of logging which is heartbreaking and the movement to create our parks to protect our trees . A must read for everyone who loves and appreciates trees.
August 8, 2025
An enjoyable read. Learned so much about the establishment of the national park system -- the fact that Yellowstone was supposed to be the SINGLE national park blew my mind. A bit dry at times, but overall interesting and informative.
April 24, 2019
If you are really interested in super dorky park stuff, this is a book you might enjoy. I do it for a living, and I still thought it was pretty boring, tbh.
February 5, 2021
For anyone interested in the big trees, this book is a must.
April 18, 2021
Meticulously researched. Rounding down to 4.5 because it was a tiny bit dry but overall great.
June 19, 2021
3.5. Very interesting non fiction history of sequoias. A little repetitive.
December 9, 2021
Great information on the history of giant sequoias. I had no idea that Yosemite was known for its Mariposa Grove.
July 3, 2024
3.5 stars. A good, easy to read history of sequoia national park and all the controversies that led to the protection of the big trees.
October 3, 2021
Very thorough and interesting read about the recent history of the Sequoia trees, from its naming to its exploitation and felling to modern day preservation, forestry and National Park history. As the author explains, this book tries to cover only the history starting with white settlers' "discovery" of the trees, because apparently much of the indigenous history was lost when native peoples were driven out or killed by the settlers. This is so incredibly sad that that particular history has been lost. I thought there surely there must be some surviving stories among native peoples.
A few things I learned that stuck with me:
* John Muir along with his contemporaries who fought successfully to save many of the groves were very wrong about the effects of fire. He believed fire should be suppressed; it was later learned this only causes more destructive, hotter fires to burn later on.
* The name Sequoia is not a Native American word; the tree was named at a certain point by a Frenchman and it's unclear the exact origin of the word (as far as I understood from reading).
* Kings Canyon National Park began as General Grant National Park and was originally much smaller, mainly protecting the famous General Grant tree at the time. Only later was it expanded to protect the canyon, and now touches borders with Sequoia National Park (hence they are two separate parks).
* Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) was heavily influenced in the US by scientists studying the Sequoia tree rings, which were available due to all the logging.
* There was controlled logging in some of the Sequoia forests and groves all the way up into the 70s by the Forest Service until it was finally banned completely. There was a battle between environmentalists and the Park Service and the Forestry Service about how to use and preserve the trees.
There was repetition in some chapters that dealt with cataloging sales of the groves and acreage of forest; this got tedious and seemed a little beside the point after the first several mentions. But the structure and easy to digest chapters were a great way to learn more about the amazing trees and how they became a symbol of the American West.
A few things I learned that stuck with me:
* John Muir along with his contemporaries who fought successfully to save many of the groves were very wrong about the effects of fire. He believed fire should be suppressed; it was later learned this only causes more destructive, hotter fires to burn later on.
* The name Sequoia is not a Native American word; the tree was named at a certain point by a Frenchman and it's unclear the exact origin of the word (as far as I understood from reading).
* Kings Canyon National Park began as General Grant National Park and was originally much smaller, mainly protecting the famous General Grant tree at the time. Only later was it expanded to protect the canyon, and now touches borders with Sequoia National Park (hence they are two separate parks).
* Dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) was heavily influenced in the US by scientists studying the Sequoia tree rings, which were available due to all the logging.
* There was controlled logging in some of the Sequoia forests and groves all the way up into the 70s by the Forest Service until it was finally banned completely. There was a battle between environmentalists and the Park Service and the Forestry Service about how to use and preserve the trees.
There was repetition in some chapters that dealt with cataloging sales of the groves and acreage of forest; this got tedious and seemed a little beside the point after the first several mentions. But the structure and easy to digest chapters were a great way to learn more about the amazing trees and how they became a symbol of the American West.
September 22, 2022
A highly readable book. Well written and very informative. Also an excellent 'feel good' story of all the progress that has been made in the field of conservation despite the many missteps.
August 16, 2025
A straightforward book about Sequoia trees, essentially a primer on the trees and the history of them within the context of their limited range. What I really enjoyed was that I felt like I got a lot of new info in this book, without being slowed in my reading by overly technical details. I appreciated that the author named individual historical locations that I can refer back to and visit on my own time.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews