Hello!

Today I went to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, which is just outside of Santa Cruz. The entrance is off of Highway 9, a rather poorly marked road that winds along beneath a roof of tall trees as it basks in green light. The park is one of several devoted to redwoods in the Santa Cruz area, and is the southern-most of the many of such along the northern California coast. I poked around the Visitor Center, which had just emptied itself of about forty third graders. There, I learned a great deal about Sequoia sempervirens, or the Coastal Redwood, which is one of three types of redwoods currently known, along with Sequoiadendron gigantea, or the Giant Seqoia, which is found in the Sierras, and Metasequoia, which was found in China.

Coastal Redwoods live along the coast, surprisingly. The Redwood is a thirsty tree, and is able to survive the dry summer months due to regular fog along the coast. In fact, the Redwood ecosystem obtains 25 to 50% of its moisture from fog. Thus, Coastal Redwoods exist in a narrow band 25-40 miles wide along the northern coast of California, and up into Oregon, where fog is plentiful in the summer.

Redwood Sorrel on the forest floor.

The Redwoods are adapted for the capture and containment of fog moisture. The needles low on the tree are flat and large; fog condenses on them and drips down to the roots. The needles up towards the canopy and smaller and fatter, and function to contain moisture in the forest and avoid too much evaporation.

Other plants in the Redwood ecosystem have similar adaptations. The Redwood Sorrel, a bright green ground cover plant, will curl its leaves down like an umbrella when touched by sunlight. This allows the plant to trap moisture below its leaves.

Long ago burned-through Keebler arch.

The bark of these trees, which is seven to twelve inches thick, is red from the presence of tannic acid (named because it was used in early tanning work). The acidity level and thickness repels encroachment by insects or fungi. Furthermore, the bark also contains a lower than normal amount of pitch and flammable resin. This makes the tree resistant to fires. Furthermore, if burned, the cambium layer of the tree will grow over the damaged tissue. Some trees at the park had been burned through, but survived on, with a large arch in their middle, through which one would expect a pack of Keebler elves to come dancing at any moment.

Sempervirens translates “always living.” The tree obtained this name because it commonly reproduces by budding new trees, often in a circular formation, or “fairy rings,” from its rootstock. These clones can live on, even if the original tree dies. The roots of the original tree will live on to sustain in the younger progeny.

The floor of the forest is surprisingly open and flat.

Interestingly, despite being the tallest tree known to man, the coastal redwood has rather shallow roots. However, these roots are dense and intertwine with the roots of neighboring redwoods, giving the trees the ability to resist falling during storms and other stresses. However, when one of these giants does fall, it serves as a long lasting micro-habitat, where insects, lizards, fungi, ground plants, and even other trees can grow and live.

The budding system of making new Redwoods is dominant. Few Redwoods grow from seeds, because it is very difficult for a seed to penetrate the duff, or thick layer of sticks and needles on the forest floor. The duff can be up to two feet thick; seedlings must grow roots down into the soil below to capture water and nutrients.

The "duff."

Coastal Redwoods are huge. After twenty years of existence, a redwood is about thirty feet tall; however, it has just gotten started. After this point, it will grow two to six feet a year, increasing an inch or so in girth. I believe the tallest today are close to 300 feet in height. Redwoods are also old; the oldest specimens at the park are 1400 to 1800 years old, according to the park’s website.

I believe this was one of the tallest ones.e

My adventure with these magnificent tree involved a mile-long walk along a trail through the oldest growth in the forest. It was like entering another world, a trip through time and place. I was amazed that, with ocean miles off on one side, and farmland miles off on the other, and a city, and roads, and forest, there was in the middle this grove of nearly eternal being. I was calm, and happy, standing alongside these giants of nature, these elders of the wood, these magnificent beauties.

Looking up at the canopy.