Redwood Tree Basics
The
heavy rainfall, rich soil and moderate climate of the Pacific Northwest
provides optimal growing conditions for redwood trees. Redwood trees
thrive in this environment. The tallest tree on record -- dubbed the
Tall Tree -- stood approximately 367 feet before it's top fell off due
to the impacts of local logging. Redwoods get their name from the
red-hued heartwood at the center of the tree. They do not lose their
leaves during the fall. Despite their towering heights, the root system
of a redwood tree only extends about six feet underground.
Age Ranges
The
average redwood tree lives to be between 500 and 800 years old.
However, there are some old-growth trees that have lived even longer.
The oldest living redwood trees are between 2,000 and 2,200 years old.
Protecting these old-growth trees is considered essential by scientists
because 96 percent of all old-growth redwoods have been killed by
loggers. Today, old-growth redwood trees are protected by Redwood State
and National Parks in Northern California.
Vigor and Vitality
Much
of the vigor and vitality that allows redwood trees to live as long as
they do is attributed to a substance called tannin. Tannin contained in
the bark of redwoods increases the tree’s resistance to pests and
diseases, helping to ward off insects like termites, and protects the
tree from fungal pathogens. Tannin, in addition to the thickness of the
bark protects the tree in the instance of forest fires. The tree’s bark
acts as a barrier to the tree’s core. This improves the tree’s vigor,
helping it to survive and live longer.
Adaptability
Redwood
trees have survived the ages due to their adaptability to fire, flood
and fog. Redwood trees produce dormant buds, called burls, encouraging
new growth after injury by forest fire. When the root system of a
redwood tree is covered in layers of soil and silt after a flood, the
tree begins a new set above the top of the old roots, closer to the
surface, allowing the tree to live on. Redwood trees also utilize the
dense fog that blankets the forests of the Pacific Northwest. Redwoods
pull moisture from fog, getting up to 40 percent of their water needs
from fog during the dry summer months. The long lifespan of redwood
trees is made possible by its adaptability.
