I’m forever astounded by the natural diversity in California. It’s been a few years since I’ve visited Kings and Sequoia National Parks, and standing beneath these giants is just as mind-blowing as when I was a kid.
There were two sequoias near General Sherman where the trail led right through them and you were able to touch the bark. It was so unexpectedly soft, fuzzy textured and springy to the touch. Absolutely loved it, will have to come back and camp beneath these giants some day.
Fun fact: two of them would be Generals Sherman
The smallest tree of it’s time.
Largest by volume
What tree is larger by some other measure? Pando, I guess?
Vs tallest. Sherman the girthy boi
Oh so we’re fighting today…
Note that these trees are massive arsonists, so that’s really awesome.
But they look ridiculous in real life. Just so wide at the base and then they just suddenly stop growing tall. Like the biggest dwarf you ever saw. And they still manage to be the tallest.
Do they actually promote fire, not just benefit from it? I hadn’t heard that.
Around here (SF Bay Area) people are removing eucalyptus right and left because it’s oily and super flammable and the trees explode when they get hot enough, throwing the tree version of Molotov cocktails.
There is a whole list of trees and shrubs that “promote fire” that’s already started and are being disallowed by insurance and HOAs. But I haven’t seen redwood on any of the lists.
I don’t know about whether giant sequioas promote fire, but they are part of the natural fire ecology.
They can’t grow without fire that clears away underbrush, and the heat pops open their seed cones so the seedlings can absorb sunlight in the fire cleared ground.
Natural fires are usually slow smoldering events, not the crazy wildfires of recent years which is due to government mismanagement of the forests that allowed too much underbrush and fuel to build up.
But climate change is also having a big effect by killing trees, which creates more dead wood fuel.
So less arsonists than… fire beneficiaries? By taking up space that’s not going to be growing more flammable trees, I think they actually temper the fires a bit.
They drop a lot of dry branches causing a mild fire hazard and enabling spread of fires. They still need an ignition source and are at risk if too much material accumulates. :)
A hunky boy is General Sherman
It was so unexpectedly soft, fuzzy textured and springy to the touch.
I like walking over the fallen debris from the giant sequoias. That is also soft and springy once it’s built up a bit.
searches
This stuff.
in the coast range we call this layer “redwood duff”, i’d imagine the same term applies
My friends still don’t understand why I almost exclusively use redwood as a building material in Vintage Story. Can’t use it IRL, and the wood is gorgeous.
yeah I could definitely win against that in a fight
