Mighty Mighty Redwoods

The Coastal Redwood, sequoia sempervirens, is the tallest tree species in the world. 

View along the Avenue of the Giants

Usual top height is about 300 - 325ft, however there are many that are taller than this. To try to put that in perspective, Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) is 315ft. These trees are BIG. The skyscrapers of the natural world. 

Bonneville: "my work here is done" 

(thanks for the caption RMAS!) 

It was unlike anything I've experienced before to be standing in a forest and to look up and not be able to see treetops, and to see fully uprooted trees lying flat from which other fully grown trees are sprouting. These things truly are wonderful, and photos simply don't do them justice. There are a lot of areas that you can visit, the best that we found was Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, but they're all fantastic! 

It's thought that the tallest at the moment is 390ft, however location is kept secret to prevent damage from tourism. Trunk width is known to grow 

up to 15ft in diameter for the older redwoods, and they can live for thousands of years. 

Comparing these to man-made skyscrapers, I believe it wasn't until 1899 when the 29 storey steel Park Row Building in New York was built, that a human skyscraper surpassed redwood height, (although the base of it was slightly larger than that of a redwood, at 1400m2!). 

To grow as they do, redwoods require a significant amount of water. Rather than transporting this up the entire tree from the roots, research has shown that they supplement siphoned water from their roots by creating their own 'rain' by condensing heavy fog, and trap needles, dust and seeds in their canopies to create peaty soil mats that grow plants, sustain animals, and absorb water, effectively a sponge in the treetops that then feeds the higher sections of the tree. 

They have shallow but long root systems, that can extend over 100 miles, intertwine with the roots of other redwoods, and grow in clusters, all of which help to protect them against wind and flood - some incredible foundation systems at work! It's interesting to note that baby redwoods often sprout at the base of older trees, latching on to their roots for nutrients and support. 

Another important aspect of survival - their bark. Redwood bark grows to be very thick, contains no flammable pitch or resin, and includes tannin, all of which helps to make it a resistant shell to fire as well as disease, fungi, and insect attacks (the trees are at their most vulnerable when they are younger as their bark is thinner). 

The fact that the wood is also durable, rot and termite resistant, non-warping, and relatively soft, made it extremely useful and led to extensive logging. 

It is thought that even larger trees existed, but were cut down during the lumber trade boom. In fact, it is thought that the redwood forests of today are only about 4% of what used to cover the Pacific Northwest before the lumber trade started.