As climate change impacts the world, altering the U.S. landscape with drought and extreme wildfire conditions, places where natural wonders like giant sequoias thrive are being destroyed. The main attractions of Kings County and Sequoia National Parks are giant sequoias, and both parks have lost a large portion of the tree population over the course of two massive wildfire seasons.

If many more disasters like this occur, the future of Northern California’s giant sequoias is uncertain, not only in these parks but also near Redwood National Park, which has some of the world’s largest sequoias. But there’s one surprising state where you can see giant sequoias that isn’t California, and it may hold the key to the giant tree’s survival.

It’s hard to imagine giant sequoias growing in the United States outside of California, but thanks to the transplanting of six sequoias decades ago by a couple who owned land in Michigan to grow the trees, the trees have thrived.

Although the climate was supposed to be too cold for them to survive, the locations where the trees were planted turned out to be ideal. They not only grew, but shot up, reaching a height of several meters. One of them even reached the mark of over 30 meters.

Giant sequoias can be seen in Michigan

Three giant sequoias were transplanted from California to Michigan in 1948 and are now thriving in the state

Forest with a giant sequoia

Giant sequoias are native to Northern California. The trees are found exclusively in the western part of the Sierra Nevada, where the elevation ranges from 4,500 to 7,800 feet. The trees like a humid climate with dry summers and snowy winters.

Despite these requirements that giant sequoias must meet to grow to towering heights and be healthy, three of them are thriving in Michigan. Although the trees are not native to Michigan, they have made themselves at home thanks to a Wolverine State couple who wanted a piece of the Golden State in their backyard.

In 1948, six giant sequoias were transplanted from California to Michigan by Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Gray. Three of the trees survived and are still thriving today. The largest of the three trees, the Michigan Champion, is 115 feet tall and still growing. The tree has the distinction of being the largest giant sequoia east of the Rocky Mountains.

Given Michigan’s cold climate, arborists and conservationists are baffled by the success of the three trees. However, the giant sequoias survive because of their proximity to Lake Michigan. The insulation keeps the bitter cold at bay in winter, and the breeze from the lake reduces the heat. Where the sequoias would otherwise likely freeze to death, they have found a home in an unusual environment.

How to visit the giant sequoias in Michigan

The giant sequoias can be seen at Lake Bluff Farms in Manistee, Michigan.

Close-up of a giant sequoia tree

Visiting the giant sequoias in Michigan is easy. While the Grays’ property was once privately owned, the family donated it to the Michigan Audubon Society in 1988, making the giant sequoias and the animals that call them home protected in the state.

The Grays’ gift is now known as Lake Bluff Farms. Visitors can see giant sequoias, a California redwood, a sycamore maple and more.

Additionally, there is a two-mile walking trail around the property. The giant redwoods are labeled so they are easy to find. There is also beach access to Lake Michigan and bluffs overlooking the lake that also offer stunning views.

How Michigan’s giant sequoias can help protect them

The giant sequoias from Michigan prove that the trees can survive outside their natural habitat, which can help protect the species.

Grove of giant sequoias

Giant sequoias are an endangered species and are on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. However, they are not on the list of species requiring protection under the US Endangered Species Act.

In 2020, the fast-spreading and extremely hot Castle Fire reached parts of Kings Canyon and Sequoia National Parks. Although giant sequoias are among the most resilient trees thanks to their bark (some are 2 feet thick), the fire proved devastating. By the time the fire reached the national parks, 14% of the world’s giant sequoias had been lost. That equates to 7,500 to 10,600 trees perishing in the fire.

The following year, the KNP Complex Fire and the Windy Fire claimed additional giant sequoia victims. These two fires killed an additional 3 to 5 percent of the sequoias, totaling between 2,261 and 3,367 sequoias.

The bottom line is that given the age of the lost trees, including the world’s ninth-largest giant sequoia, these forests will likely never look the same as they did before the fire. But since sequoias can thrive in places like Michigan, perhaps there’s hope the trees will survive in places other than California.

If this is the case, conservation of giant sequoias may be possible in states where wildfires are the exception (rather than the rule). This could be the key to increasing giant sequoia populations after the devastating declines caused by the California fires.