The unofficially named Grove of Titans was discovered May 11, 1998, by botanistStephen Sillett, and naturalistMichael Taylor in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The discovery implies that Sillett and Taylor are the first to realize and declare the significance of the grove, not that they were the first ones ever to see it. Approximately 2011, a person from Oregon learned of and posted the grove's geolocation online. A surge of visitors followed, trampling hundreds of native plants. The surge of boot traffic triggered problems like damage to native plants, soil compaction, difficulty for scientists, and strain on limited park resources. Between 2012 and 2016, approximately 8000 sq.ft. of ferns, sorrel and other plants were destroyed by visitors. The native plant damage was most evident around a redwood called Screaming Titans. In July 2016 the parks posted a sign which states up to 3300 sq. meters impacted. It also used before and after photos to show the change over a period of several years. In May 2016, a $1,000 donation was sent by M. D. Vaden, Certified Arborist, to Redwood National and State Parks, earmarked for helping the Grove of Titans. In 2017, the parks revealed the need for donations far beyond the first $1000, and described a $1,000,000 boardwalk and trail plan. The parks went public through an interview and news writer. The article revealed that a non-profit Redwood Parks Conservancy received $300 for the grove as of February 2017. Another update from Facebook said $5,000 had been given, far short of one million. The park is hoping to raise $500,000 to get a grant to build an elevated walkway at the park that will help mitigate the damage from foot traffic. The deadline to get this grant is Dec. 31, 2018. Starting on Nov. 6, 2019, construction began on a 1,300-foot-long elevated walkway through the Grove of Titans.
Flora
Names of the named largest redwoods in this grove include Lost Monarch, El Viejo del Norte, Screaming Titans, Eärendil and Elwing, Beregond, Aragorn, Sacajawea, Aldebaran, Stalagmight and Del Norte Titan. Several abundant understory plants are California sword fern – Polystichum munitum and Redwood sorrel – Oxalis oregana.
Location
The Grove of Titans is in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park of Northern California, south of Highway 199. The closest town is Crescent City, California. The location was described by author Richard Preston in his book The Wild Trees as "the bottom of a hidden notch-like valley near a glade." The exact location within the park has not been revealed in this book for fear that excessive traffic will damage the grove.
