Northern California's Coastal Redwoods

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Northern California's Coastal Redwoods

~A Brief Overview ~

"chain saw rising, whining out of a cut, falling

thump of a log, limbed & bucked & loaded

and where it spills over rocks as if another

truck pulling back up the ridge, empty

only there--

there was no hearing it

only water and the rock where it turns

the water singing

the forest cut down

and there only rock to hear it fall."

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The average Redwood's life spans from around 800 to 1500 years. These anciet Redwoods were here when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and 65 million years later we can now stroll through these living artifacts in coastal California.

Typically people think that redwood forests are made up entirely of redwoods. But that isn't so--a healthy old-growth redwood forest is a mix of redwoods, deciduous trees, ferns, vines, flowers and wildlife. Giant redwoods are so tall, dense, and so crowded in the canopy, that some ground areas rarely see the sunlight, and little grows beneath these large giants. But whenever a tree does fall by Mother Nature or man, it leaves a gaping hole, that goes noticed.

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Redwoods were named for the color of their bark and heartwood. These trees have a high resistance to fungus and diseases due to the high tanin content in the wood. The dense, fibrous bark has an even higher content, and acts as an insulator from periodic fires which have plagued the countryside for centuries. Though these trees are immense, they have delicate foliage. The needles are narrow and sharp-pointed, and combine to form feathery sprays. The cones are an inch long and typically contain fourteen to twenty-four seeds. The older trees offspring sprout form their parents' roots in order to take advantage of the established root system.

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