The World's Largest Hollow Log

Frequently Asked Questions

What Kind Of Tree Was The Malarkey Giant?

The Last  Malarkey Giant was once a towering coastal redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) within a massive grove of trees known as the Malarkey Forest north of Crescent City, California. This variety of redwood grows in only one place in the world – a 450-mile strip along the Pacific Coast of North America, beginning in southern Oregon and ending just south of Monterey, California. The coast redwoods are the tallest living species on Earth, can live over 2,000 years, and reach heights of 300-350 feet with diameters of 16-20 feet.

How Old Is The World's Largest Hollow?

Since most of the Malarkey Giant's core rings have been burned away, it is impossible to determine its exact age. However, based on the diameter of the log and the 900 plus countable husk rings, forestry experts estimate the age could easily exceed 2,000 years. What remains even more difficult to estimate is the number of decades or even centuries the tree stood in hollowed splendor after its death.

Why Is The Malarkey Giant Hollow?

Ages ago, either by wind or a lightning bolt, the top of the tree was somehow blown off. Repeated lightning strikes ignited the exposed heart wood causing it to periodically burn like a massive candle. With the exterior wood being 90% water along with frequent, heavy rains, the fire would be extinguished before it could completely consume the tree. This amazing process repeated through the centuries until ultimately, the heart of this majestic giant was destroyed. Once hollowed and dead, a tree becomes a "snag" and can stand in place for countless years. It only becomes a log when it either falls or is cut down.

Why Is A Hollow Redwood Log So Rare?

Hollow redwood trees or "snags" require an immensely powerful and continuous combination of natural forces to work and shape them as one of the most unique wonders on earth. Even more rare is a log that remains intact when it does fall to earth. Seasoned loggers know the extreme danger of falling a massive snag and the certainty of it splitting into a thousand, if not a million pieces. For a snag to fall without disintegrating would require near super-human measures be taken, or in the case of the Malarkey Giant – a miraculous fusion of luck and circumstance.

What Makes The Malarkey Giant A One-of-a-kind Wonder Of Nature?

As one of Nature's most profound works of earthly art, the Last Malarkey Giant has no rival and to the trained eye represents an unparalleled historical marvel of colossal proportion – and that's no malarkey!