The Coast Redwood is the world’s tallest tree. It’s hard not to think about prehistoric times when seeing their gigantic trunks. Found mostly in California, it grows in natural stands in a long, thin, coastal area along the Pacific Ocean.
Throughout the year it rains quite a lot in this thin coastal strip and it is quite foggy most of the time. Because of this, the tree can absorb enough water to survive.
Although we often think of life on the forest floor, different species of plants, lichens, salamanders and invertebrates live high up in the the complex branch systems of redwoods.
This tree provides cover for life on the forest floor as well. It sheds large slabs of thick back. Many different types of cool creatures can by found by looking under the shed bark at the foot of the tree; I found my first California snake this way.
These immense trees have delicate foliage. Narrow, three-quarter inch needles needles grow flat along their stems, creating feathery formations.
Because of the dramatic atmosphere, these redwood forests have been used as scenery in movies like Star Wars and Jurassic Park.
The world’s tallest living tree is named “Hyperion” (fans of the largest trees give them names) and is no less than 379 feet. In the most favorable parts of their range, Coast Redwoods can live more than two thousand years.
