Northern California's Coastal Redwoods

~A Brief Overview ~
"chain saw rising, whining out of a cut, falling
thump of a log, limbed & bucked & loaded
and where it spills over rocks as if another
truck pulling back up the ridge, empty
only there--
there was no hearing it
only water and the rock where it turns
the water singing
the forest cut down
and there only rock to hear it fall."
By: Upper Jacoby Creek

The average Redwood's life spans from around 800 to 1500 years. These anciet Redwoods were here when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and 65 million years later we can now stroll through these living artifacts in coastal California.

Typically people think that redwood forests are made up entirely of redwoods. But that isn't so--a healthy old-growth redwood forest is a mix of redwoods, deciduous trees, ferns, vines, flowers and wildlife. Giant redwoods are so tall, dense, and so crowded in the canopy, that some ground areas rarely see the sunlight, and little grows beneath these large giants. But whenever a tree does fall by Mother Nature or man, it leaves a gaping hole, that goes noticed.

Redwoods were named for the color of their bark and heartwood. These trees have a high resistance to fungus and diseases due to the high tanin content in the wood. The dense, fibrous bark has an even higher content, and acts as an insulator from periodic fires which have plagued the countryside for centuries. Though these trees are immense, they have delicate foliage. The needles are narrow and sharp-pointed, and combine to form feathery sprays. The cones are an inch long and typically contain fourteen to twenty-four seeds. The older trees offspring sprout form their parents' roots in order to take advantage of the established root system.

It is thought that the last ice age limited the Coast Redwoods to their present range, a narrow four hundred and fifty mile strip along the Pacific Coast from central California to southern Oregon. In this "redwood belt" the temperatures are moderate year-round, and with heavy winter rains and summer fog to provide adequate water. This unusual climate was far more common in the earlier ages. This is evident in the fossil remains of redwoods found in western United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. Though these fossils are around one hundred and sixty years old, the California Redwood's are less than twenty million years old.

The Coastal Redwoods, the Sequoia's, are the tallest living things in our natural world. These trees grow to be over three hundred and fifty feet tall. The tallest living tree is situated on the Redwood Creek in the Redwood National Park. It measures in at 367.8 feet, which is higher than a 35-story building. Another natural giant is in Founder's Grover, Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Prior to March 24, 1991, when this 362 foot tree was toppled after being struck by another tree during a storm, it was the second tallest known tree in the area. Still standing in Humboldt Redwoods State Park, in the same grove is the Founder's Tree, which is 346 feel tall. The Founder's Tree and the grove, are dedicated to the people who helped establish the Save-the-Redwood's League.

In the summer of 1917, Madison Grant, Henry Osborn, and John Merriam, three conservationists, stopped at Bull Creek and witnessed the logging operations in what is now called Humboldt State Park. In 1918 they helped establish the Save-the-Redwoods League and in 1921, with the addition of State funds, the League purchased its first grove. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. brought his family to Bull Creek Flat in 1930. The Rockefeller's two million dollar donation to the League, in 1931, helped purchase 9,000 acres at Bull Creek. The importance of the Save-the-Redwood's League is evident due to the popularity and interest of the trees. There are 90,000 acres of the pre-settlement Coast Redwoods remaining today and most of these are in parks and public preserves. Since the migration of man, the Redwood has been in jeopardy. Though it's environment in sustainable, man is continually taking out these natural beauties. To lumber companies, the Rewoods in North America offer immense logs of clear, straight, beautiful, long-lasting timber for an ever-increasing industrialized market. In just a few decades, groves of trees that took Mother Nature centuries to grow were gone. By the turn of the century, the population of old Redwoods was severly decimated.

Though there are so many organizations trying to save these natural giants, there have been many conflicts over property rights. One story, known as the "Mother of all Timber Wars", was Pacific Lumber versus the environmentalists. The origin of the conflict was the Headwaters Forest, which is the largest privately held portion of the ancient redwoods. The logging company thought they had the right to log the property, and many passionate individuals disagreed with them. This is a typical story of who owns what, and who can control our natural resources. In the end, the forest became a reserve regulated by both the United States Bureau of Land Management and the State of California. To view the complete story, visit Environmental Issues .

Check out these sites for more information:

Save-the-Redwood's Website
Coastal Conservancy Website
California's Department of Forestry and Fire Protection