Giant sequoias: There are less than 80,000 of these redwoods left in California,

[PufPuf23]

2. Neat story but misleading title.

Last edited Sun Mar 17, 2024, 11:42 PM - Edit history (1)

There are two redwoods in California that differ in genus etc.

These trees are Giant Sequoias that are in the Sierras (can tell in photo by buttress at stump) but most California redwoods are coast redwood that are still a commercial species with about 5% of original forests in parks. I live in the National Forest on Klamath River just inland of Redwood National Park and worked for many years and am highly educated and experienced as a forester, also a was CA RPF.

from wiki with some comments copied from California forum.

Sequoiadendron giganteum

Sequoiadendron giganteum is the species of mention here. The range is scattered stands in central Sierra Nevada Mountains. Many have been damaged by fire in recent years.

>>Sequoiadendron giganteum, also known as the giant sequoia, giant redwood or Sierra redwood is a coniferous tree, classified in the family Cupressaceae in the subfamily Sequoioideae. Giant sequoia specimens are the most massive trees on Earth.[3] They are native to the groves on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range of California but are grown around the world.

The giant sequoia is listed as an endangered species by the IUCN, with fewer than 80,000 trees remaining. The tree is reducing in numbers in its native California but its numbers are growing in other parts of the world. 500,000 giant redwoods are thriving in the United Kingdom[4][5].

The Giant sequoia grow to an average height of 50–85 m (164–279 ft) with trunk diameters ranging from 6–8 m (20–26 ft). Record trees have been measured at 94.8 m (311 ft) tall. The specimen known to have the greatest diameter at breast height is the General Grant tree at 8.8 m (28.9 ft). Giant sequoias are among the oldest living organisms on Earth. The oldest known giant sequoia is 3,200–3,266 years old.

Wood from mature giant sequoias is fibrous and brittle; trees would often shatter after they were felled. The wood was unsuitable for construction and instead used for fence posts or match sticks. The giant sequoia is a very popular ornamental tree in many parts of the world. A potential hypothesis for the species name, is in honor of the Cherokee Chief Sequoyah, however there are no surviving records of why the species was named as such.>

Sequoia sempervirens

Coast redwood ranges from Big Sur north to slightly into southern Oregon. Coast redwood grows taller, grows faster, and has the highest cubic volume per unit area than any tree on Earth. Think Redwood National Park.

>>Sequoia sempervirens (/səˈkwɔɪ.ə ˌsɛmpərˈvaɪrənz/)[3] is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. It is an evergreen, long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,200 years or more.[4] This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft) in height (without the roots) and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living organisms on Earth. Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha (2,000,000 acres)[5][6][7] along much of coastal California (excluding southern California where rainfall is not sufficient) and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States.