Redwood trees, a living masterpiece. These trees are incredible. From the moment I first saw them I was completely amazed, and in love. I have been wanting to write about them for a long time. Today, while walking along in the grocery store...enjoying some Andrew Bird music, and contemplating how to write my blog about Redwoods - I came across my favorite magazine, National Geographic. Guess what the October edition focuses on?! Redwood trees!!! I stood for a moment, looking through the pages...in awe at the beautiful pictures - thinking about the purchase. I caved in. I walked out of the store with less money, but filled with excitement. Time to write.
Redwood trees- the tallest trees in the world, some nearly 400 feet tall. Spanning across the Pacific coast- all the way from southern Oregon to Big Sur, California.
"Redwoods the size of Saturn rockets sprouted from the ground like giant bean-stalks, their butts blackened by fire." - National Geographic 2009
Their existence has caused controversy for decades. Logging vs. preserving. It is not only their height that makes these trees amazing... Some of these trees date back 2000 years! Imagine the things they have seen! Living for 2000 years, longer than anything else on earth- how could we possibly cut them down? Firstly, these trees are resistant to decay which makes them an extremely good building material. The longer they live the better and more resistant their wood becomes. It is a loggers gold mine. They provide a main source of income for hundreds of families. Clear-cutting. We all know this term. It is the fastest, easiest way to cut down trees. But it nearly put the Redwoods into extinction. It was done this way mainly because of their size... moving them is an extremely difficult task. The most intensive burst of logging happened right after WWII during the rebuild. Thousands of trees were clear-cut, and what is left of them is table scraps in comparison to what there was. So, what can be done? Lots. Plans have already been set into action. But...before I continue on with that, I have another interesting fact about Redwoods. They are so tall, that they support separate forests in the air. Incredible.
"Hundreds of feet above ground, the crowns of ancient redwoods shelter another forest. Thickets of berry bushes, ferns, and other conifers-some large enough to bear cones-rise from dense mats of soil on broad limbs or in trunk forks. The soil, as think as three feet, forms from decayed leatherleaf ferns and redwood leaves and bark, nourishing an aerial ecosystem unknown until the 1990's, when scientists first climbed into the canopy." - National Geographic 2009
So... to save the Redwoods. There needs to be an equal balance between logging and preserving. No longer will the trees be clear-cut. No longer will the trees be dragged out of the forests, which causes extreme erosion and kills forest life. Each tree cut down will be carefully chosen, and lifted from its home. Many times, forest conservation plans involve cutting down the oldest trees, and leaving the new growth. That is not how we are saving the Redwoods. We are leaving the ancient giants, and taking younger less developed trees. The older trees produce more offspring, and support much more life than younger trees. Carefully planned logging can actually do the trees a lot of good. They are so thick, that most of the time the Redwoods are stuck in the shade. Letting sunlight through the canopy from time to time can do wonders. These trees still have much life to give. Many of them have been through multiple forest fires, and still stand strong. We must do the same.
Do I hear a road trip?
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