California is being battered by a wet winter storm, and it’s claimed one of the state’s iconic giant sequoia trees as a victim.
The Pioneer Cabin tree in central California’s Calaveras Big Trees State Park fell during a storm Sunday and shattered upon impact, park rangers said.
The rangers told CNN affiliate KOVR that a shallow root system probably contributed to the tree’s collapse.
The hole in the tree was cut in the 1880s to compete with “drive-through” trees in nearby Yosemite National Park. The San Francisco Chronicle reports cars once drove through the tree, but in recent years only hikers were allowed to walk through it.
