The Coastal Redwoods of California.
Image by wolf4max on Flickr.com.
There are perhaps no trees more amazing than the redwood trees. There certainly are few trees older than the redwood trees, which makes them special, and definitely worth your time to read about today. In this post I am going to introduce you to these amazing trees and one place where they are being preserved; the Redwood National and State Parks in California.
Redwood trees are type of evergreen tree, which means they have needles instead of flat leaves. One thing that makes these trees special is that they can live for a very long time. Redwood trees that are 3,000 years old have been found. In fact, it is very common for a redwood to live to be at least 300 years old; whereas most other trees don’t live much longer than 300 years. These trees are among the oldest living things currently on the Earth! Another thing that makes these trees special is that they grow very tall. The Coastal Redwood trees, which is found on the coast of California and Oregon, are the tallest living things on Earth. These trees can grow to be up to 379 feet (115 meters) tall! These trees tower above the other trees in the forest. (Note: There are three types of redwoods, Coastal Redwoods, Giant Redwoods, and Dawn Redwoods. This post just focuses on the Coastal Redwoods.)
Sadly, the beautiful, tall, and long-living redwood trees, which used to be found all along the Oregon and California coast, are almost all gone. In the 1800s and early 1900s logging companies decimated (to decimate = to destroy a large percentage of something) these trees. Their wood is a beautiful red color, the wood is also long lasting after it is cut, and it is very strong. These are among the many reasons that redwood trees were logged for decades in California and Oregon. It is estimated that now, only 5% of the old redwood forests still exist. Luckily, these forests that do exist are now protected so that the old trees can continue to grow and new ones can come back.
The Redwood National and State Parks in California are where you will find almost all of the old growth redwood trees today. These are a group of connected parks, which were created, beginning in the 1920s, to protect the redwoods and the animals that live in their forests. In total there are about 38,000 acres (157 km2) of old-growth redwood trees in these parks. You can drive your car around in groves (grove = a group of trees) of redwoods; and you can also, hike and even camp near these big trees. No matter how you see these trees, on foot, or by car, you will be amazed by their height, age, and beauty! If you are driving your car to see the redwoods, you can also drive your car through one of the three “drive-thru” redwood trees that have been created. These “drive-thru” trees, which are so big you can dive a car through the trunk, have been created as tourist attractions. They are not found in the parks, but nearby. Amazingly people have cut holes large enough to drive cars through these trees and that has not killed the trees!
Drive-thru redwood tree!
Image by Carissa Rogers
on Flicker.com.
I know when I spent time camping in the Redwood National and State Parks, I was amazed by these trees and I am sure you would be too if you went to see them. Just think about all that has happened in the world in the time that some of these trees have been alive. That is truly awe inspiring to think about!
Note: Information for this post was taken from National Parks brochures at Redwood National and State Parks.
