Giant sequoia on the estate Rond Chêne

This page contains specific information about giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) '284', which can be found on the estate Rond Chêne in Esneux.

This magnificent tree is the biggest tree of Belgium and the biggest giant sequoia of the Benelux countries (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg).

According to tree specialist Charlier, the owner of the neighbouring domain "Closerie du Rond Chêne", this tree was planted in 1891 by gardener Léon Crépin, which means that the girth of this tree has increased about 8 cm yearly on average.

The tree maintains its large girth near the bottom up until a quite large height, which makes it probable that this giant sequoia is the most voluminous tree in Belgium. I estimate the volume myself at about 96 m³. If correct, then this tree is by far the tree with the most voluminous trunk in the Benelux.

The girth of the tree is 9.15 m measured at a height of 1.50 m (Nov 1, 2011, BELTREES). Its height is around 36.00 m (2006, measurement method unknown, Nardo Kaandorp). This tree was planted in 1891, which makes it exactly 122 years old (BELTREES, Oct 1, 2011).

Growth rate

The girth was measured more than once:

Year	Girth@1.5 m	Measurement	Growth rate
1969	6.70 m	BELTREES	-
1978	7.17 m	?	5 cm/year
1991	8.00 m	BELTREES	6 cm/year
1994	8.20 m	BELTREES	7 cm/year
2002	8.68 m	BELTREES	6 cm/year
2006	8.90 m	Nardo Kaandorp	6 cm/year
2008	9.00 m	BELTREES	5 cm/year
2011	9.15 m	BELTREES	5 cm/year

The growth rate shown in the table shows the yearly average increase in girth since the last measurement. This value only gives an indication of the growth rate, since every measurement could be done at slightly different heights and during different periods of the year.

Show on map · Edit data of this tree · Add new measurement · Remove

Photos

The photos are provided by Han van Meegeren, Hans-Cees Speel, Nardo Kaandorp, Tim B, and Gert Teunissen.

Show all images (12 in total)...