In January 2006 the largest branch on the General Sherman Tree (seen most commonly, in older photos, as an "L" or golf-club shape, protruding from about 1/4th down the trunk) broke off. There were no witnesses to the incident, but the branch—bigger around than the trunks of most trees, with a diameter of over 2 m (6 feet) and a length of over 30 m (100 feet)—smashed part of its enclosing fence and cratered the pavement of the walkway surrounding the sequoia