Redwoods are magnificent trees whose beauty we get to experience in Sonoma County and Healdsburg. These beauties are set in the picnic grove at Riverfront Regional Park. The park includes three miles of trails for walking through redwoods plus boating, hiking, horseback riding and picnicking.
The redwood most seen in our area and in this grove is the coastal redwood, scientifically classified as Sequoia sempervirens. It is one of three species, in the genus Sequoia. The other two are giant sequoias, (Sequoiadendron giganteum) found in the Sierra Nevada, and dawn redwoods (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). Dawn redwoods are of Chinese origin, introduced as an exotic, and can be seen in some Healdsburg backyards.
The coastal redwood is classified as the tallest tree in the world. Even though they are tall they have shallow, lateral root systems. Often found in clumps or stands, their lateral roots intertwine for stability. The preponderance of weight is at the tree’s base, in heart wood and burlwood. This along with its interlocking root system makes the tallest of trees quite stable.
Redwoods produce both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction is by sprouts or lignotubers, round woody outgrowths at the base of the tree; a sexual reproduction produces a genetically identical tree. “Fairy rings” are commonly seen when sprouts from a large tree form a ring of genetically identical trees. Over many years the center, large tree decays leaving its progeny standing in a circle around what was once a massive tree. Living over 2,000 years, the fairy ring can represent 4,000 years of identical plants’ lives.
Sexual reproduction in redwoods occurs after 10 years through small cones that hold 10-12 very small seeds. Being monoecious, the redwood has both male (pollen producing) and female (seed-bearing) parts on the same tree, but never on the same branch.
Fun Facts: Redwoods have the largest genome ever sequenced—nine times larger than humans. The oldest known coastal redwood is over 2,000 years old; the tallest recorded almost 400 feet high. The current record holder for tallest tree is Hyperion in Humboldt County, at 380 feet tall. The redwood lineage dates from Jurassic times, 150 million years ago. Prevalent throughout the Northern Hemisphere, coastal redwoods occupied about 2 million acres in California and Oregon before logging. Redwood stands are now estimated at 1.5 million acres. About 30%of those acres, 450,000 acres, are in parks.
