Calaveras Big Tree National Forest in California’s Sierra Nevada was created to protect a grove of giant sequoias. Though authorized in 1909, it was formally established on May 11, 1954, with just 390 acres, making it the smallest unit in the United States National Forest system. Its unusually small and specialized character led to its administration alongside Stanislaus National Forest rather than as a large independent forest. In 1990, officials proposed transferring the federal land to the State of California for addition to the adjoining Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Its significance lay in safeguarding an important sequoia grove within a very limited protected tract.