Lost Monarch is the name of a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree in Northern California that is 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and 320 feet (98 m) in height. It is the world's third largest coast redwood in terms of wood volume (the Del Norte Titan is listed as the largest single-stem coast redwood tree, in part because the basal measurements of the Lost Monarch contain multiple stems).[1]
Lost Monarch was discovered on May 11, 1998, by Stephen C. Sillett, and amateur naturalist Michael Taylor, and is located among other giant redwoods called "The Grove of Titans". The Lost Monarch Tree is located in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The exact location has not been revealed to the public out of concern that excessive human foot traffic may upset that ecosystem. The tree is estimated to contain 34,914 cubic feet (1,200 m3) of wood volume.[2] One account of the discovery was published by Richard Preston[3].
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The Lost Monarch is in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park of Northern California. Lost Monarch's location is vaguely described:
South of Hy. 199 in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park: by a grassy glade near the bottom of a "notch valley"; in an area where a trail was not constructed through the grove; within a few mile hiking distance of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park campground.
The Lost Monarch is surrounded by other coastal redwoods known as some of the largest of the species. Of the surrounding redwood trees, some have names from discovers, like El Viejo del Norte, Screaming Titans, Eärendil and Elwing, Stalagmight, and others.
Lost Monarch supports and provides a habitat for epiphytes including Polypodium scouleri. One report from 2003 estimated that Lost Monarch held 1,000 pounds (± 70 lb) or 450 kilograms (± 30 kg) of P. scouleri fern mat material.