It might surprise you to know that, until a few days ago, I had never made the pilgrimage to the heart of redwood country. I had seen scattered trees at the far northern reaches of the tree’s range near Brookings, Oregon. And I had seen a few groves in the Bay Area.
First things first. When discussing the two Sequoia species native to the United States, it’s important to distinguish between the two. Sequoia giganteum, the giant sequoia, is an inland species known for its incredibly massive specimens. Sequoia simpervirens, the coast redwood which is the subject of this diary, also achieves great diameters but is unsurpassed in the height category. The tallest known coast redwood is currently 380 feet tall.
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THE DAILY BUCKET IS A NATURE REFUGE. WE AMICABLY DISCUSS ANIMALS, WEATHER, CLIMATE, SOIL, PLANTS, WATERS AND NOTE LIFE’S PATTERNS.
WE INVITE YOU TO NOTE WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU IN YOUR OWN PART OF THE WORLD, AND TO SHARE YOUR OBSERVATIONS IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE PURPOSE AND HISTORY OF THE DAILY BUCKET FEATURE, CHECK OUT THIS DIARY: DAILY BUCKET PHENOLOGY: 11 YEARS OF RECORDING EARTH'S VITAL SIGNS IN OUR NEIGHBORHOODS
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The best range map that I was able to locate is produced by Save The Redwoods. Follow this link for the full-resolution image.
The overwhelming scale of a coast redwood forest is difficult to describe to those who have never been immersed in one (I refuse to use the term “cathedral-like,” because the trees were here long before the first cathedral was built. Instead, we should call an impressive cathedral “forest-like.”) Taking pictures that capture the grandeur can also be challenging. I have chosen some of the pics that do a decent job in this regard.
Hikers add a sense of scale.
For geographical reference, I began my journey at the northern end of the range, near Crescent City, California. I arrived at the Hiouchi Visitor Center late in the afternoon, too late for any serious hiking. Fellow foresters, and a park staffer, recommended the driving tour on Howland Hill Road. This road was built with the trees in mind, single lane with turnouts.
Parks in the vicinity of Crescent City.
Trails abound. Take your pick.
In all my years of doing forestry work, I had never measured a tree taller than about 250 feet. My goal was to find trees that surpassed the 300 foot mark. Measuring trees that tall is not an easy task, as I had to be a long distance from a tree in order to have a clear line of sight to both the base and the top. With a laser rangefinder, I take three sightings: Distance to the tree (the instrument adjusts for slope), and the angles to the base and top of the tree. The circuitry in the rangefinder does the math. The tallest tree I located was 333 feet tall. That’s 47’ shorter than the champion tree, but I was happy with my find.
The trees don’t look all that big in this pic, until you realize that the redwood in the very center is 100 meters tall.
Now, for some background on the species. These notes are from a Forest Service publication written by David F. Olson, Jr., Douglass F. Roy, and Gerald A. Walters.
The frequent summer fogs that blanket the redwood region seem to be more significant than the amount of precipitation in delineating the redwood type. The major effect of fog is to decrease water loss from evaporation and transpiration. An additional effect of condensation and fog drip from tree crowns is an increased soil moisture supply during the dry summers. The natural range of redwood is limited to areas where heavy summer fogs from the ocean provide a humid atmosphere, although its successful growth in plantations or amenity plantings is not as limited...
The redwood region, generally, is characterized by irregular ridges oriented northwest to southeast with deep narrow valleys. Consequently, the principal streams drain to the northwest. Much of the terrain is rough, steep, and extremely dissected both by major streams and smaller drainages. Redwoods grow from sea level to about 915 m (3,000 ft) elevation, but most are found between 30 and 760 m (100 and 2,500 ft). The best stands have developed on flats and benches along the larger streams, on moist coastal plains, river deltas, moderate westerly slopes, and valleys opening toward the sea.
Although most redwood stands are close to the ocean, redwood does not tolerate ocean winds, and considerable evidence suggests that it is sensitive to ocean salts carried inland during storms. Usually redwoods do not grow on hillsides that face the ocean. The absence of redwood near the ocean also may be caused by the absence of forest soils of sufficient depth and fertility to support redwood.
The biggest and best forests are indeed on flats and benches near large streams.
Back to the pictures...
This redwood was 313’ tall. Narvik says, “That’s a big tree!”
After spending the night in Crescent City, I drove south towards Eureka. The Newton B. Drury Scenic Highway parallels US 101.
A staggering volume of biomass. Tree on the left is a western hemlock, which had to grow tall in order to compete.
My car is dwarfed by giant trees.
Another worthy side trip is the Avenue of the Giants, which parallels US 101 between mileposts 650 and 674, southeast of Eureka.
Along the Avenue of the Giants.
I could go on with many more pictures, but I have to stop somewhere. So here’s another “looking up” image.
A nice feature of phone cameras is the ability to take super-wide-angle shots.
It’s your turn. Share your redwood stories, or comment on any other subject that has your attention today.
