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EXPLORE > PLANTS > GYMNOSPERMS
Sequoia sempervirens
The coast redwood is a large, long-lived coniferous evergreen found in scattered areas along the west coast of the United States. Famous for their tremendous size and biomass, this species can exceed 300 feet (91.4 m) in height and may be as wide as 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. The tree has a conical crown with drooping branches. The needle-like leaves are generally flat and dark green. The name of the tree derives from the bark, which is a deep reddish-brown when freshly exposed, becoming darker as it ages.
These trees occupy a narrow strip of land along the Pacific coast where precipitation is high during the fall and winter. The redwood does not have root hairs, a feature common in most plants which allows increased absorption of moisture from the soil. As a result, the redwood requires fog drip (when moisture from the fog collects on the tree’s needles then falls to the ground as precipitation) to make it through the summer or periods of drought.
The tree is also referred to as California redwood and giant redwood.
Distribution
The coast redwood is found only in northern California and some parts of southern Oregon. Its northernmost boundary is near the town of Brookings, Oregon, with a large stand located on the Chetco River nearby. Another stand occurs in the Klamath Mountains.
Conservation Status
Endangered.
As concerns over climate change and carbon emissions grow, the coast redwoods also play a unique role in purifying the atmosphere. These massive trees actually absorb more atmospheric carbon than any other terrestrial species on the planet. Although laws are now in place to protect the remaining redwoods on the West Coast, 95% of these forests have already been lost due to human development. Although permanent logging bans were enacted in 2000 for the related Sequoia redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum), no similar protections are currently in place for coast redwoods.
Redwood forests provide critical habitat to countless species including the endangered marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl.
Sequoia sempervirens
The coast redwood is a large, long-lived coniferous evergreen found in scattered areas along the west coast of the United States. Famous for their tremendous size and biomass, this species can exceed 300 feet (91.4 m) in height and may be as wide as 20 feet (6.1 m) in diameter. The tree has a conical crown with drooping branches. The needle-like leaves are generally flat and dark green. The name of the tree derives from the bark, which is a deep reddish-brown when freshly exposed, becoming darker as it ages.
These trees occupy a narrow strip of land along the Pacific coast where precipitation is high during the fall and winter. The redwood does not have root hairs, a feature common in most plants which allows increased absorption of moisture from the soil. As a result, the redwood requires fog drip (when moisture from the fog collects on the tree’s needles then falls to the ground as precipitation) to make it through the summer or periods of drought.
The tree is also referred to as California redwood and giant redwood.
Distribution
The coast redwood is found only in northern California and some parts of southern Oregon. Its northernmost boundary is near the town of Brookings, Oregon, with a large stand located on the Chetco River nearby. Another stand occurs in the Klamath Mountains.
Conservation Status
Endangered.
As concerns over climate change and carbon emissions grow, the coast redwoods also play a unique role in purifying the atmosphere. These massive trees actually absorb more atmospheric carbon than any other terrestrial species on the planet. Although laws are now in place to protect the remaining redwoods on the West Coast, 95% of these forests have already been lost due to human development. Although permanent logging bans were enacted in 2000 for the related Sequoia redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum), no similar protections are currently in place for coast redwoods.
Redwood forests provide critical habitat to countless species including the endangered marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl.
