The question of which tree is bigger—the Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) or the Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum)—has a nuanced answer that depends on the definition of “bigger.” These two closely related species represent the largest trees on Earth, but they dominate size categories in different ways. The Coast Redwood wins the contest for maximum height, while the Giant Sequoia holds the record for total wood volume or mass.
Which Tree Reaches the Greatest Height
Coast Redwoods are the world’s tallest trees, with the current record holder, a specimen named Hyperion, measuring 116.07 meters (380.8 feet) tall. The tallest Coast Redwoods are nearly 100 feet taller than the tallest Giant Sequoias, which top out around 95 meters (311 feet). This immense vertical growth is enabled by the Coast Redwood’s growth habit and its unique coastal environment, which provides a steady supply of moisture.
The physiological limit for any tree’s height is estimated to be between 122 and 130 meters (400 and 427 feet), constrained by the physics of moving water against gravity. Coast Redwoods overcome this challenge by absorbing water directly from the dense summer fog that characterizes their habitat. This fog absorption, which can account for a significant portion of the leaf’s water content, helps alleviate the water stress the upper canopy experiences, allowing them to continue growing upward. The Coast Redwood’s relatively slender trunk, compared to the Giant Sequoia, is conducive to this race for vertical light in dense, competitive coastal forests.
Which Tree Holds the Most Wood Volume
While Coast Redwoods are the tallest, Giant Sequoias hold the title for the largest living tree by wood volume. The General Sherman tree, a Giant Sequoia located in Sequoia National Park, is recognized as the world’s largest living tree, boasting a total volume of approximately 1,489 cubic meters (52,600 cubic feet) of wood in its trunk. This immense bulk is the result of its tendency to grow a thick trunk that tapers very little compared to the Coast Redwood.
The Giant Sequoia achieves this volume by maintaining a large diameter much further up the trunk. The largest specimens can have a diameter at breast height of up to 8.8 meters (29 feet), creating a massive, pillar-like structure. This difference in shape means that even though a Coast Redwood may be taller, the Giant Sequoia is significantly heavier and contains a greater total amount of biological material. The Coast Redwood is the second most massive tree with a single trunk, but its volume is typically less than that of the largest Giant Sequoias.
Geographic Range and Identification
The two species occupy distinctly separate geographic ranges and possess unique physical characteristics. The Coast Redwood is found in a narrow coastal strip stretching about 724 kilometers (450 miles) from southwestern Oregon down to central California. Their survival is tied to the presence of the Pacific Ocean’s fog belt, which provides the consistent moisture necessary for their growth.
In contrast, the Giant Sequoia grows in isolated groves along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, typically at higher elevations between 1,500 and 2,100 meters (5,000 and 7,000 feet). Other physical identifiers also help distinguish them, such as their foliage and cones. Coast Redwoods have flat, needle-like leaves and produce small cones, about two to two and a half centimeters (0.8 to 1 inch) long. Giant Sequoias feature small, scale-like, awl-shaped leaves and produce much larger cones, measuring five to nine centimeters (1.97 to 3.54 inches).