Redwoods

THE REDWOODS

Taxonomically, the redwoods belong to the Taxodiaceae, the swamp cypress and sequoia family.

This primitive plant group only boasts 14 species but includes some of the planet's most famous record-breakers.

Three of the redwood family are widespread exotics in the UK, normally in tree collections and parks but sometimes planted in trial plots in woodlands and forests. All three can be enjoyed in the RFS Woodlands in the Chilterns and mid-Wales.

COAST REDWOOD - Sequoia sempervirens

  • The coast redwood is one of the most impressive sights in nature. Their natural range is a narrow part of the "fog belt" along the coast of the North-West USA, from the extreme south of Oregon to south of Monterey in California. The tallest tree in the world is a member of this species, towering over 110m.
  • First described in 1769 by Father Crespi, on an expedition around Monterey Bay, it was brought to Britain in the 1840s when a Dr Fischer sent seeds to Chelsea nursery.
  • As well as being the tallest tree in the world, it is probably the fastest growing one in North America. For the first few years of their life they shoot up at about 46cm (18") a year. Many grow to 30-45m (100-150 ft) in 50 years.
  • The oldest coast redwood recorded by accurate ring counts (Internal Link to Tree of Knowledge>Ageing Trees) was 2,200 years old but most are under half this age.
  • The wood turns a maroon colour soon after felling - hence its name - and in Oregon and California, the trees have supported large timber or lumber industries. The timber is strong and durable, if a little soft. There it is used in house building, and for roofing shingles, cooling towers, silos, greenhouses and farm buildings.
  • In Britain, they are widely used as ornamental trees and do not grow to the size recorded in the USA. The first plantation of coast redwoods established in Britain was at Leighton, near Welshpool in Powys, owned by the Royal Forestry Society.

GIANT SEQUOIA OR WELLINGTONIA - Sequoiadendron giganteum

  • The giant sequoia is native to the middle elevation, mixed coniferous forest of the central and southern Sierra Nevada in eastern California. It is famous for its huge dimensions and the great age it grows to. The holder of the record for volume is "General Sherman" which in 1931 had a height to the top of the trunk of 83m (272 ft), a girth of 24m (79 ft) and a volume of 1,406 cu.m.
  • As its Latin name denotes, it is one of the oldest living trees, surviving anything up to 4,000 years.
  • The tree was first described in America in about 1850, and was introduced into Britain in 1853. The foliage is used in wreath-making and floristry. It is widely planted as an ornamental. Commercially the Wellingtonia is not an important timber tree here.
  • The most famous of Wellingtonia Avenues is on the Duke of Wellington's estate at Stratfield Saye, Hampshire. The tree got its British name after the Iron Duke died in the year of its discovery.

DAWN REDWOOD - Metasequoia glyplostroboides

  • Until the mid-1900s, this tree was only known to scientists through fossils. It was believed to have become extinct ages ago.
  • From the fossilised material it appears the dawn redwood was widely distributed in the northern hemisphere, back to the Cretaceous period (136 million years ago), and lived through the early or middle part of the Tertiary period (to about 26 million years ago).
  • But, in 1941 it was rediscovered by a local botanist who found more than 100 specimens in the Hupeth and Szechuan provinces of China, where it was still growing naturally.
  • In 1948, large quantities of seeds were collected and it was introduced into Britain to botanic gardens and horticultural societies. It is now widely planted in many countries as an ornamental tree. It is of special interest, as it is one of the few deciduous conifers, whose leaf drop off in winter - the others are larch and deciduous cypress.
  • The dawn redwood has beautiful green foliage which turns brick-red in late autumn, after many other trees have finished their displays. The narrow conical shape and the orange-brown bark and twigs in winter all combine to make this a most attractive ornamental tree.
  • Due to its relatively recent re-discovery, we are still learning about this species. In its native home, it is still used for cattle feed, repeatedly pruning the trees to supply the fodder. In lowland Britain, it grows rapidly as a young tree and is pest and disease free and easy to propagate.