You may think you’ve seen a big tree before. Douglas firs, western red cedars, ponderosa pines are just a few of the marvelously large trees we see here on the West Coast. Redwoods, perhaps, are one of the most notable, and have been California’s state tree since 1937. If you’ve ever taken a walk through Big Basin Redwoods, with trees as tall as the statue of liberty, or been shrouded by shade on a sunny day within the largest old growth redwood forest on the planet (Redwoods National and State Parks), you know that the majesty of coastal redwoods is undeniable.
For me, I discovered something new when I stood on snow covered ground, adjacent to some reddish orange bark and nearly kinked my neck looking up at a behemoth giant sequoia tree for the very first time. I spent the following days walking this specific giant sequoia grove trail in California, and was fascinated by what I learned about these ancient trees.
1. The relation between giant sequoias and coastal redwoods
Upon first glance, one may quickly notice clear similarities between the two trees. They are often mistaken for one another or used synonymously, sharing a phylogenic family (Cypress) and subfamily (Redwoods), but branching in regards to their genera. In fact, in California, both the giant sequoia and the coastal redwood are designated as the state tree. Falling under the subfamily classification “native redwood” together, there was a bit of confusion about which tree was actually the state tree.
In 1951, the Attorney General of California ruled that both trees qualified as native redwoods and were thus both the state tree. As these trees are both extraordinary, my theory is that they also couldn’t imagine excluding one or the other from such an honorary title.
Most apparently similar between these trees is their sheer size. Both are absolutely massive, easily reaching heights of 300+ feet in their lifetime. The key difference in their sizes is that coastal redwoods hold the title of the tallest trees, whereas giant sequoias are known as the largest on Earth (we will get in to that next).
2.They live up to their scientific name: Sequoiadendron giganteum
Coastal redwoods may be known as the tallest trees, but giant sequoias easily take the cake for largest tree by volume. Craning your neck in attempt to see the tops of these trees, you will find that they just keep going and going, and the trunk’s girth does not get much slimmer with height. Their trunk diameter can be up to 33 feet long, which is comparable to the length of a full-sized school bus.
One of the most shocking thing about their size comes higher up on the tree. From my place on the ground, I found myself saying: “those branches are the size of a tree!” In fact, one branch of these colossal trees can be 7 feet wide and 125 feet long. By that notion, the trunks of giant sequoias almost have their own forest of big trees right on their trunks!
3. Ancient for a reason
Giant sequoias have just been doing their thing for thousands and thousands of years (the species itself for much, much longer). Really, there are several trees today that have been confirmed at over 2000 years old, and who knows how many giant sequoias have lived to be that.
In Yosemite, within a grove of over 500 mature specimens, one of the oldest is estimated to currently be a whopping 3000 years old! Since it can be hard to fully comprehend how much this tree has lived through, imagine this: when Julius Caesar was born, in roughly 100 BC, this tree would have already been nearly 1000 years old.
4. Humongous trees and tiny, fire-adapted pinecones
These trees have long, strong lives, so it’s easy to picture they start out as large pinecones and seeds. However, when I say these trees have tiny pinecones, they are barely more than two inches long. Other conifers, like sugar pines (whose average height is 130-195 feet), have pinecones that are up to 31.5 inches long. For the giant sequoia, if it is 300 feet tall, its pinecones are a mere 0.00056% of its height!
They may be small, but are certainly mighty. In an extremely adaptive way of life, heat from fire incites these tough pinecones to crack open and thus frees the seeds tucked inside. But the benefit of fire for these organisms doesn’t stop there: when fire comes through, it burns the surrounding shrubs (eliminating competition for the little seed) and loosens the soil, which is a perfect recipe for successful seed germination.
5. A narrow habitat range
A burnt sequoia pinecone
These magnificent giants don’t grow just anywhere in the world, which makes them a little extra special. They are only native to the western slope of California’s Sierra Nevada mountain range (coastal redwoods grow on the North Coast of California through Southern Oregon). This is also where the fire tolerance comes in to play. Fires are no stranger to California, but sturdy sequoias are ready to brace for impact, and actually require it for the succession of life.
However, it is important to note that adaptation for natural, cyclic fires is not the same as preparedness for the rampant fires we see today. Warming weather and increased natural disasters do pose a threat to this endangered species.
In summation, these trees are incredible statues of both nature and history and have lived through a remarkable amount of time and global change. They are a truly unique tree, a sight of gentle dominance on any forest floor and a definite must-see of the Sierra Nevadas.
