Sequoia 'grand and steadfast' Sempervirens
Updated: Oct 22, 2021
Earlier we wrote about the largest tree, the 'highest' birch and the longest roots. Which record is missing? Exactly, the tallest tree in the world! That is the Sequoia sempervirens or coast sequoia, which rises above everything and everyone at 116 meters. The good thing: this giant of the forest fits well in the Dutch climate, although it will not reach the size it has in California here. The giant germinates from a seed as small as a pinhead and can fit through the letterbox as a baby. We are therefore very pleased with the possible arrival of the coast redwood in our range!
Great steadfastness
At 116.07 meters, a tree called the 'Hyperion' is the tallest living tree on Earth. Up to now. The tree was only discovered in 2006, in a remote part of California's Redwood National Park. However, his lead is 'threatened'. The competitor is a tree called 'Paradox'. This tree is now 3 meters smaller, but with its current growth rate around, it will literally and figuratively rival the Hyperion in 2031 [1]. It is still difficult to calculate how tall a tree can eventually grow. Scientists from the University of Arizona keep it at 122 – 130 meters [2]. The coast redwoods do not seem to be done growing yet.
Candide / CC BY 4.0
The Sequoia sempervirens is closely related to the Sequoiadendron giganteum, which we already have in our range. It is a different genus within the same family. The name Sequoia is a Navajo Native American plant and girl name, which stands for 'great' and 'steadfast' [3].
From before the Ice Age to after the Anthropocene
It doesn't surprise us that the name of this tree stands for steadfastness: like the sequoiadendron, it survived the ice ages. In California at least. Before the ice ages, it was found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. It was also widespread in Europe. So widespread that much of the lignite found here consists of ancient Seqouia trees [3]. However, the trees that survived the Ice Ages nearly perished with the rise of man: it is estimated that nearly 95% of the Sequoia acreage in western North America fell for subsistence [3]. Fortunately, the species has a good survival strategy. When tree stumps are cut or when the mother tree freezes to death or falls over, new trees sprout from the rootstock. Because of this, you can often see coast sequoia growing in circles.
Soon: your own Coast Redwood
The soft, durable wood is highly resistant to moisture and is still popular for this reason. In California, Redwood National Park takes care of the remaining trees that are sometimes 2000 years old. In the Netherlands, they were only planted again in the 20th century. Soon you will be able to watch one grow yourself or give it as a gift! Let's work together to ensure that it continues to exist grandly and steadfastly well beyond the 'Anthropocene' :).
As a young tree, Sequoia sempervirens hates frost. However, today it has a good chance of success on the humid mild west coast of Europe that it has a similar growth rate in Ireland, Great Britain and western France as in North America [3]. In the Netherlands, the climate is becoming more and more suitable for the coastal redwood. We came across a beautiful specimen of about thirty meters high [4] in Zeist and viewed it from the air. Just a few more years of patience and this fast grower towers high above the other trees in the park.
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