Redwoods National Park

The redwoods.  No, THE REDWOODS!  We were amazed by the Douglas Fir and Giant Cedars, but the redwoods!  These trees are the world’s tallest living trees.  They are a living link to the Age of Dinosaurs.  The scientific species name for the coastal redwoods is “Sempervirens” – that translates to “everlasting”.  And no wonder.  Some of the trees we saw – still living and thriving – are over 2000 years old. Most of the redwoods grow to over 360 feet, they can grow to 30 feet in the first 20 years, with most of the height achieved in the first 100 years.  Their full height will reach the forest canopy by 200 years.  Trunks are 10-15 foot diameters.

Look carefully at the bottom for the people for a size comparison!

 

 

Their foot thick bark makes them almost impervious to fire and insects.  In addition, if numerous fires over the centuries do manage to burn through the cracks in the bark to the heartwood, the mostly water resin does not propagate the fire.  A tree can be completely burned out in the center, but still thrive and continue to grow.  Lisa, Simon, and Bompa stand inside a burned out tree...

Or, you can simply cut them out and they continue to live...yes, we drove through it - twice!

Massive clusters of bud material is collected in swollen bumpy knobs called root collar burls.  Burls form under the ground or, if a tree has the top blown off, at the site of the “topping”.  Burls may remain inactive for generations, but when a tree is stressed by low rainfall or intense fire, the sprouts awake, and new trees begin.  Burl....

 

Ferns grow well in the rainforest atmosphere.  These sword ferns and maiden hair ferns, along the walk, are at least up to Luke's waist.

 

Elk are native to the area and abundant.

 

The trees were heavily logged by the 1870’s and into the early 1960’s.  Fortunately, the State of California recognized the growing depletion of the redwood forests by the early 1920’s and established 3 state protected redwood parks.  But it wasn’t until 1968  that the federal government finally established Redwood National Park!