It's not just Scotland those are here too unfortunately, we're in East Anglia and the largest forest (Thetford forest) is largely just monoculture pine fields, obviously some nice bits but it must be majority monoculture. Or has small sprinkles of silver birch to look less monoculture.
Look past the plantations and you will find we have awesome woodlands in Scotland , there are some fantastic heritage trees , plantations are just crop trees
@@bobbycrispy5459 absolutely, I’ve also seen new native plantations being planted. This doesn’t detract from the huge areas of commercial plantation remaining and new commercial plantations being started.
I think the person who posted this video is not aware that he is discussing two different species of tree. There are Redwood trees growing near the coast and Giant Sequoia trees growing inland and partially up the Sierra mountains. The General Sherman tree is a Giant Sequoia tree.
Experts will tell you that Giant Sequoias can only grow high in the mountains, But I grew up in a suburb of Bakersfield CA, elevation 404ft, and there are two Giant Sequoia trees growing in front of the Junior High School I attended in the 1950's. In the 1940s, when they were planted, the "experts" told the school district that the seedlings were Giant Sequoias, not Coastal Redwoods, and the seedlings wouldn't survive. It is now 80 years later, and the trees are alive and growing every year. By the way, in Bakersfield it gets well over 100f, (37.78c), every summer, but that hasn't harmed the two Giant Sequoias yet.
Californian here. Never thought I'd hear a brit talking about Redwoods in Britain. Glad to see our lovely trees getting recognition and regular foggy mist!
I've often noticed little microcosms of fog and mist over an area in Northern Ireland called Kilbroney park and maybe that's due to the Redwoods, never really made the link but they are massive trees!
@@roundtowerproductions Yes, coast redwoods actually make their own fog (though the weather needs to be at least a bit foggy naturally). Their needles are designed to catch the fog and morning dew, and drip it onto the ground, and then it gets soaked up by their roots and released back into the air. Redwoods like this cool damp environment protected from harsh sun, and so grow best in large groves and forests where they can create their foggy home. Solitary redwoods are often drier than they'd like to be, and can start losing foliage in harsh sun. The loosely planted scattered trees you see in the video leave the redwoods too exposed, so they're not as healthy as they could be.
Regarding the 80,000 redwoods in California - these are specifically for the giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevada. The more common redwood is the coastal Redwood, which are the tallest trees in the world. These grow in people's backyards and parks all across Northern California and their numbers are well in the millions. But the difference is that they can only get super tall along the coast of California.
And even when it is in your backyard… there wasn’t a single day I didn’t say hello and feel something very special around those trees. Especially my albino favorite I would see often!!!
Think that’s because most redwoods you see in the suburbs are aptos blue redwoods. A variety propagated for the nursery trade several decades ago. These only grow to about 30-50’ and can tolerate heat more. They also have a blue tint to them There’s a bunch of different redwood varieties. There’s even a bush/drawf one that maxes out about 5’ lol
Yeah, this bugged me. There are about 5,000 giant sequoias in the UK, about 80,000 in California. The rest of the UK redwood population is coastal redwoods (of which there are still 1.5 million acres of forest in California, though only about 5% of that is old growth, the rest having been logged and regrown at some time in the past) and Chinese dawn redwoods (which are very endangered in their native habitat but widely grown ornamentally all over).
@@OmperDomperthe Po valley or northern/western Spain and Portugal (Galicia, cantabria, Porto area) would probably be perfect for coast redwoods as they even get similar fog to Northern California and have almost the exact same climate conditions
I'm a microbiologist in California who specializes on coastal redwoods, and I have been a huge fan of your channel since it started! If you'd like a tour of what the species is capable of, feel free to reach out to me as a resource/guide! My partner is an archeologist, and we are incredibly well versed in their local history, so maybe we could be helpful for your research. :)
So I used to live in the Redwoods and maybe you can answer this question. Often cut redwoods will send up fairy rings or root sprouts. Since it's from the original tree ( I assume) can the fairy rings count as the original tree just regrown or do you start the age of the tree from the rings on the existing root sprout? Like if it's genetically the same material as the 1,000 year old tree would it be 1,100 years old, just fresh growth? I guess this is the was what I tried to tell myself to feel better about the grief of all the lost trees.
Love the question Alexis! Tree age is determined in trees by the rings of the trunk. Birch are another example of trees that tend to reproduce through roots, and the trunks they send out will only grow to be around 10-35 years old, but the root system will live on for thousands of years.
I didn’t see any redwood saplings growing around the UK redwoods. Are they not reproducing? If so can they be thought of as thriving in the Uk if they are not reproducing?
@@saronite5236the root sprouting is in response to the tree being cut. In CA you'll have a gigantic stump and 10 -20 feet out you'll get a fairy ring. Which can be quite magical in thier own right. One of these was set up as a firepit/ glen at someone's campground I was at once.
Not just a second home in the UK, redwoods are all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Chile. Botanists and tree enthusiasts in the 19th Century collected massive numbers of discarded pinecones from the logging operations in California when word spread of the size of the trees being felled there. Theres an estimated 1.1 million Coastal Redwoods and Giant Sequoias outside the United States and the oldest ones are still just half the height of the mature Californian trees.
I think you are mixing up two different species of Redwoods. The Sequoia of the Sierra Nevada propagates by seeds while the Coastal Redwoods propagate by root stock similar to Aspen. The coastal trees are valuable as timber while the sequoias are not. The Sierra trees are used to hot summers and cold winters and grow slowly. The coastal trees milk the the fog from the ocean, so the ground underneath is always damp plus they don't get extreme temperatures. I could go on but I think you get the picture.
I think the ones in your video are sequoiadendron giganteum or giant sequoias. Those grow in the Sierra and are the largest (most massive) trees in the world. Sequoia sempervirens or coastal redwoods are as michaelogle1315 noted found on the coast and thrive in those foggy conditions. They’re not as massive as the giant sequoia but are the world’s tallest trees. General Sherman is the most massive tree and he’s a giant sequoia. The world’s tallest tree is a coastal redwood named Hyperion and researchers keep its location secret to protect it. Sure you could say that when you’re using the word “redwood” you’re referring to the subfamily Sequoioideae which includes both as well as the Dawn Redwood from China- but most Californians will think of redwoods as well redwoods (costal redwoods) and sequoias as Giant Sequoias which are a four or five hour drive away on a totally different mountain range. This seems like nitpicking I know but when you do visit you probably want to know which you’re doing because they’re not exactly neighbors :)
we have millions in Japan they planted them on the side of the road and the roots after 40 years damaged roads and after 10 years the money it cost to cut and take the roots up and repair the road enormous ,also a creeping vine from tsuru strangles many treas
Nice rundown but oldest tree, not even close. The high mountain trees like limber pine and bristle cone are older by thousands of years.@@LetHimEatCake
@@michaelogle1315 that’s right. There’s a bristlecone pine that they call Methuselah that’s generally considered the oldest I think. There are also some sacred trees in other parts of the world that are often overlooked.
As a sasquatch, I heartily endorse this planting project in the UK. It will make me feel right at home if I go there on vacation. Please plant more. Thank you. Benny
Bay Area native here.. LOVE these behemoths! Just went to Muir Woods a couple months ago and there’s NOTHING like it ❤️ Glad to see they’re making their way to our UK brothers and sisters
I'd love to see our native temperate rainforest re-established, but there is surely enough land for a redwood forest or two as well. Maybe one day we could be sending seedlings and young trees to California to help restore the forests there.
@@Trash-Castle Even at their peak they only covered 8,100 km2 which is around 3% of the UK, since then of course their population has declined massively. So not even remotely close to covering the uk.
But why would you do that? California is so bad at everything that they'd just wipe them out eventually no matter what you do. I'm surprised that California Red-Sided Garter Snakes aren't extinct in the wild already. Yeah the Redwoods would fare better over there. I don't think they'd acclimate very well to where I live, but I saw some of those Giant Sequoias once, so those trees should be pretty impressive once they get big enough, and all the castles and megaliths make your country look like a fairy tale setting- enjoy the giant trees.
@@N0sf3r4tuR1s3nThe reason that the California red-sided garter snake isn't extinct yet is because it is a protected species. It is considered endangered by both the state of California and the government of the United States. The state of California will move the human race back two hundred years to save a snail.
The largest living tree by volume is Sequoiadendron Giganteum, the Giant Sequoia, the species shown in this video. Sequoia semprevirens, the California Coast Redwood, is the tallest of all trees. Both are called redwoods, but are not the same tree. A lot of the info in this video is a mix of facts about both trees interchangeably even though they are no more similar to one another than pines are to spruces. Still awesome to see them covered here!
Yes a very important clarification there. Ok so I've been lucky enough to visit Sequoia NP & Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP and a few others, but this is this guys subject, he should know and clarify the difference.
@@MattRussellUK I wouldn't go that far, most sources conflate them and if you aren't from the united states you are unlikely to have ever seen the trees in person to differentiate them.
Castles and giant trees? Yeah y'all really live in a fairy tale land. Maybe I'll come visit sometime, North Carolina is great, but it's been a while since I've been on vacation outside of the country.
I'm almost sixty. When I was a kid, everybody in America had redwood outdoor furniture sitting on their redwood decks because they were so rot and pest resistant. Not anymore!
From what ive heard redwoods have out-evolved all of the diseases and pests that would take them down. Im in OR and our red cedars are similarly badass with stumps and nurse logs lasting hundreds of years cause nothing can eat them!
As a long- time supporter of Redwoods and the Save-the-Redwoods League, I'm very happy to learn about the Redwoods in Great Britain. I live in Minnesota, but we are growing Redwoods in the nearby state of Michigan. Wherever they can be grown, we should plant them.
I think a Redwood forest in Britain would be fantastic!! 🌲🌲🌲I live in California and have been to the Redwoods - I think everyone should be able to visit them at least once in their lifetime! 💪🏻👍🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🤗
@@LeaveCurious In California, Sequoiadendron giganteum, which are native to the lower Sierra mountains, is known as Sequoia. These trees you are showing are Sequoia. Sequoia sempervirens, which are native to the mild Coast Range mountains, are called Redwoods. Sierra Sequoia are far wider trees and grow older than the taller Coastal Redwoods.
@@ydnei think he is just grouping both species, though to be honest the coastal redwood creates the more bio diverse forest. That's not to say that sequoia's don't allow for biodiversity but they tend to be in dryer regions.
@@LeaveCurious Why? Personally I would rather we concentrate on re-establishing native old growth forests. I am not opposed to individual Redwoods, or stands or small groves, but I WOULD be opposed to entire forests of Redwoods in the UK when our own native forests are in such a poor state. I would rather see us concentrate on setting up and sustaining native oak old growth forests for example.
Red woods get most their water from the air. They soak it up from the top branches. So if you want them to grow as much as they can, plant them somewhere that gets a lot of moisture in the air.
@@jogolock1190 not rain more like fog or mist . And I only say anything because the ones he shows are super small compared to what we have here in Cali
@@Raylen_Fa-ield coastal redwoods are as you say, but this video seems to be entirely about giant sequoias, which grown in a dry climate (hence the extremely fire resistant bark) and get their water from melting snowpack
The format of this video is top tier. The lack of unnecessary musical overlays and thematic editing is very refreshing to see on RUclips today. The strength of your narration and the sounds of natural backdrops make for easy viewing and truly engaging content. Well done, and keep up the good work. Happy to subscribe for more of this right here.
Did you know that there’s 3 types of redwood too- Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) the tallest tree in the world, Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) the oldest tree in the world and the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) which was previously thought to be extinct until 1941 when it was found in China and is also the only deciduous redwood
Now that is a person that loves redwoods. I learned more for your commment than I did in the video. I thoguht there was only 1 species of redwood (sequoia). I do think its cool Redwoods are in the UK. I hope everyone that sees this comment will also show my RedDog RubyDoo some love on Pawsuasive Dog Teaching. My RubyDoo knows over 60 tasks so far and for every 1000k subs she gets a steak dinner.
What you wrote is mostly correct. Sequoiadendron giganteium is not the oldest tree in the world. Check out the bristlecone pine. That is usually considered the species with the oldest individual tree.
Yes, and in California, sempervirens is located mostly in the north coast rain forest, while the big trees are usually grouped in the central and northern Sierra Nevada and foothills. Before the population explosion from the 1849 gold rush, even the hills surrounding San Francisco Bay were shaded by their majestic canopy. Demand for lumber soon brought that era to a close, with only a few groves remaining. (And a belligerent invader, the Eucalyptus, took possession of many of the wild hillsides.)
I was weeding near our local 159 year old redwood with a 6.5m girth today. It was being awesome as usual! At Dunollie House in Oban, right next door to our local temperate rainforest, Dunollie Woods.
We've got three of them ( S. giganteum) here at Leckmelm. Two from the 1870/80's and one self-seeder around 22 years old, now 3m tall. We also have a 5m Dawn Redwood, 25 years old.
The "Oban" I know is in Southern New Zealand. I think it is the one and only, small town settlement where the ferry lands, on the small island of "Stewart Island" just off the South of NZ's 2 main islands. I have a funny feeling that the original "Oban" is somewhere in North Britain, perhaps the Orkney or Shetland Islands ? There are a handful of Californian Redwood trees hereabouts. One about 100 years old was planted outside a local primary school. When they demolished the original old building to re-build the school, they did indeed leave the Redwood tree intact.
@KiwiCatherineJemma Dunollie house is in Oban on the west coast of Scotland. Also a very important harbour with ferry services going to many islands. Very likely the origin of the name. I never knew there was an Oban in New Zealand. Although there seems to still be a strong connection between New Zealand and Scotland. I know of a few farmers who have gone between the two as it has a similar climate and sheep.
There's a forest of them in New Zealand too, at a place unimaginatively called The Redwoods near Rotorua. They were planted in the 1920's as part of an experiment to see what exotic wood tree could best replace the timber needs that were at the time being met by felling native forests. Redwoods, some Australian Eucalyptus species, Douglas Fir, and Monterey Pine, maybe others were selected for the trials. In the end it was found that Monterey Pine was best suited for the needs, growing ridiculously quickly, today in plantations with 70 years of growing experience it's being found that they're getting 40-50 metres in height in just 30 years. The redwoods were left where they were, and today the stand of them is a popular tourist destination in an already popular tourist town.
That's kinda funny because California had the genius idea of adding Eucalyptus everywhere around the same time for cheap paper pulp. And even though it's not New Zealand, your neighbor Tasmania might have had trees even taller than redwoods that were turned to timber too. Having surveyed trees in the Pacific Northwest I would have guessed Doug Fir would have done the best because their range is bigger/further north than Monty Pines but I guess New Zealand hit the sweet spot.
@@inuendo6365 My parents planted Eucalyptus and Sequoias in a plot of land in Europe, the Sequoias are tall now, but all Eucalyptus died after 10-15 years. Too humid and cold winters I guess... Redwoods and Sequoias are from the Cypress family, present on Pangea before the continents split, so at some point in time they were growing on all continents I suppose.
Same here in the State of Victoria, Australia we have a similar aged forest of Sequoia, Also many central Victorian botanic gardens have sequoia over 150 years old. Perhaps the Californian miners brought them over during the 1850s gold rushes to Ballarat, Bendigo and other nearby localities?.
So quick bit of info. Coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world, and the largest by volume. Giant sequoia, like general sherman, are the largest by diameter. Coastal redwood grow in coastal fogbelt areas. Sequoia grow in dry highland climates. Also, the conditions that redwoods thrive in are similar to great britain. Most days of the year in a redwood grove have fog. Also, while they don't get much rainfall, 40% of their water comes directly from the fog. Temperatures float between 50 and 65 degrees F about 80% of the time. Redwoods also have elevated epiphyte mats to help take in the fog that allows them to grow tall. So even in a wet environment they won't grow to their full potential without the amount of fog you see in places like Northern California or the Po valley. They'd probably do better in the Po valley than in great britain. Its the closest climate to their native range. Lastly, redwoods grow in "families" and have interconnected root systems. Planted them in rows like a cypress doesn't help them grow to their full potential either.
I live in Oakland, CA. I hike daily in large redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) forests walking distance from my house. I've been doing this for over 30 years & am still blown away by these trees everytime. Hiking in a redwood forest sends one into a mental captivation, a reverie. I joke that they keep me out of prison! I had no idea, until your video, that there are so many (6x over CA) redwoods in the UK (I'm guessing this # refers to Giant Sequoias rather than Coastal Redwoods). Yes, I'm biased, but you can't plant too many redwoods. There are no downsides & everyone benefits.
In my hometown in Norway in the last few years, I've planted a lot of acorns from the oldest oak here. In various forests where there's been logging. And fewer horse chestnut trees(even if they're not native, they may be low thread). Some have grown, and it's really interesting to keep an eye on them, and see them get bigger each year, even if small yet.
Nemrai, I do the same, here in Montana. Gather acorns as well as chestnuts in town ( Missoula ) and when i come upon a guĺley with water in the forests i toss a handfull or two out. I've done my part, it's now up to a higher power... ☆
I was born not too far from a redwood grove in California and have seriously considered moving to the UK. The idea of a forest of redwoods in a chosen home following me from where I was born is magical.
@@Vingul I like hermosa 🙂. But where I live is on the outskirts of London. Biggin hill . It’s very green. Charles Darwin walked the same valleys I do when he wrote his theory of evolution. I do love the wild areas of California.
@@hoonaticbloggs5402I was gonna say. Looking at the state of the UK I wonder if that person knows they are down grading. No offense, my great great grandmother was from Leeds and I wanted to go visit her home town and all of England one day. But seeing the foreign hordes that have taken over those cities it seems like a bad idea because I WILL NOT be getting the traditional "English" experience. Good luck to you guys over there, get those fekers off of your land and out of the country. The Irish people seem to be getting the right idea on how to handle it. My dads people have been in California for thousands of years and my moms all came from Europe. I wanna see the old world one day where she came from please clean it up and MAGA, MAKE ENGLAND GREAT AGAIN!.
@@Vingul I live on the Avemue of the Giants in California we are over 1000 KIlometers from LA (600 miles) We live in a temperate rain forest LA is in the desert.
As the California-born son of a British father, please help save these trees. If climate change and fires end their existence, the whole world loses a magical species. Britain is a lovely home for them. Also, beware that their roots often run wide and shallow. Too much foot traffic can compact the dirt around their roots enough that they can fall in strong winds.
If you go visit redwoods come to Santa Cruz my home town. Henry Cowell has some absolutely massive specimens and in some parts of the forest you can find very rare albino redwoods.
@@crispyglove Sequoia Gigantia (in the Sierras) Sequoia Semperviron (Coastal Redwoods) Monterey county to the Oregon border and a few in Oregon too....
I live in a Redwood forest in the northern, very foggy Santa Cruz Mtns in California. I have 4 acres of redwoods here that are approaching and/or exceeding 200feet tall, but they are only 100+ years old. This whole area of Kings Mtn was clear-cut up til 1925. These coastal redwoods need fog to feed the tops of the trees. As I am at1300 ft and 4 miles from the ocean, there are many foggy nights and some days. The problem in California has been the 5 year drought that just passed. Many fallen redwood branches are covered with lichen because the trees are weaker now. (Both of my cars have been smashed by these falling rockets called "widow makers").. I still love it here after 21 yrs.
I have actually thought of buying some land in Ioannina, Greece and planting a Redwood Forest. Ioannina receives a staggering 1000 to 1200mm of rain and then goes through the same kind of hot summer the redwoods would experience in their native range. I was thinking to do it next to the university campus ^_^
Sequoias (sequoiadendron giganteum) would do fine in that climate' coast redwoods (sequoia sempervirens) do well in hot summers only if they get sufficient fog at night. They need moist soil but that's isn't sufficient for them. they need the additional water from fog condensation.
@@jamesdoyle2769 Cheers I will keep that in mind! This is more of a long term plan as I am implementing a permaculture design on our own land at the moment.
Note that the giant sequoias in california are up in the sierra nevada mountains. Like 2000m above sea level and hence in a much cooler climate than california flatlands or greece. They are in area where there can be snow for over 6-8 months a year. They dont need this cold climate, i grow them in the netherlands, but i see that with the warmer summers with long dry periods here they are struggling. I would not bet my money on redwoods in greece....
Cool video. I live in California and love the Sequoia Trees. I did not know there were so many in the UK. I’ve visited England once and loved it. Hope you come to see them here in CA soon.
I've planted 10 of these along with 40 endangered black poplar trees. All phantom planted in the community. I've definitely offset my carbon footprint 😂 I wish I had the land to plant forests. I've added a few redwoods to my local woodland but we need a redwood forest. The world is forever changing and so should we.💚
@@bennichols1113Thankyou for the advice. I say the community but they have been planted on land or field's left to rewild in the area. Woodland and my allotment. Mostly away from built up areas.
One maybe small correction or note, if you will: the Redwood is not the tallest tree in the world of all time, but is the current tallest living tree in the world. The Coast Douglas Fir that lives in the Pacific Northwest is in fact (or was), the tallest living tree in the world, prior to logging. The tallest Douglas firs reached heights of over 400 feet, many of which that were recorded and measured at over 450 ft tall! The current tallest Coastal Redwood in the world is or was some 100 feet or so shorter than the tallest ever recorded Douglas fir! But the vast majority of the oldest, biggest, and tallest Douglas firs were cut down long ago around the same time that the Coastal Redwoods were cut. So currently yes, the Coast Redwood is the tallest living tree species in the world. We have a lot more old growth Doug fir left than Coast Redwood, but the issue lies in that the largest and tallest of them grew in lowland river valleys in or around the Willamette Valley and Pudget Sound, which were the first to be hit by early logging and settlement. Cities like Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver were largely built over old growth forests. The remaining old growth Douglas firs we have left do not even come close to the sizes and heights the oldest ones once were. The Redwoods to an extent had some advantage over the Douglas firs, in that they were initially harder to access growing in mountainous areas. Lots of old growth Douglas firs also remain in more mountainous areas, but the largest of them grew in the absolute easiest places to harvest early on, and they were so much more widespread than the Redwoods too, that we never got a "Save the Douglas firs" movement early on like the Redwoods did-it was assumed that ours would never run out. Doug fir is by far the dominant tree in the PNW and old growth Douglas firs stretched from the coast to the mountains and all across the inland valleys between the coast, coastal ranges, and Cascades. I like the idea of preserving Redwoods in other places. I think that is a great idea. I would also suggest similar for other massive west coast species like the Douglas fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Redcedar, Western Larch, etc, but I don't think any of those can compare in dire need as the Redwoods. The Redwoods have a much smaller native range and generally far more threatened, compared to the wider ranges of the Douglas fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Larch, etc.
After decades of research, Dr Robert Van Pelt (aka “Big Tree Bob”) - an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, USA, and currently one of the world’s foremost experts in giant trees - is sceptical about many of the large tree specimens reported in the 19th century, as mis-measurements were rife. In his opinion, the tallest Eucalyptus regnans from Australia that can be definitively believed was the Thorpdale Tree (aka Cornthwaite Tree) located in the Gippsland area of Victoria, which measured 114.3 m (375 ft) when felled in 1880. He believes that the tallest accurately measured redwood (including historical measurements) is the current tallest living tree - Hyperion, in Redwood National Park, California, USA - at 115.85 m (380 ft 1 in) as of 2017. For Douglas fir, the tallest measurements he is convinced by are those of the Mineral Tree, which grew near Mt Rainier in Washington, USA. It was measured by independent sources at 119.79 m (393 ft) before it blew over in 1930. A figure of 126.5 m (415 ft) for a Douglas fir in the Lynn Valley in British Columbia, Canada, is also described in Forest Giants of the World: Past and Present, and although there is no independent confirmation, it could feasibly be accurate, according to Dr Van Pelt.
Been to see the Redwoods, both Sequoia and Coastal several times in California, they are mesmerising to walk amongst, so yes would be fabulous to have a Redwood forest in Britain, but it'll take hundreds if not thousands of years before they grow as tall and as massive as those in California.
There is a Sequoiadendron giganteum in my local Arboretum and I happened to visit that tree just yesterday. It is truly a fascinating specimen which has been doing surprisingly well in the wet and sunless Dutch climate. Now some 120 years old it towers all the other trees in the park. Now for some local lore - The very day that specific giant redwood was planted a boy was born right next door. And for the next 106 years they would be celebrating their birthdays together.
Where they grow on the California coast is similarly sunless and cloudy. There is another tree that grows perhaps faster than that and would easily put up with Dutch weather, and that's the North American Eastern Cottonwood which grows 7 to 8 feet in diameter and 150 feet high. It likes wetter soil but puts up with anything. One that was cut down as a nuisance near me had a trunk that was 2 feet in diameter but was only 18 years old. They are majestic hardwoods somewhat elm-like from a distance, Similar size and growth rate are American Sycamore but more finicky regarding soil, preferring wetter only.
Sequoias don't struggle in California when they're in gardens or various other plantings.It's no surprise that they'd thrive in Britain, since that was part of their native range before the Pleistocene.
I wonder how and when they disappeared from Britain... considering that 95% of US specimens were cut down in 100 or 200 years, I would not surprised if they were still present in Europe when early civilizations appeared? The Mediterranean sea was surrounded by a continuous belt of forest, mostly cedars I believe, until the bronze age development, then all the trees were then used for forges, building houses and ships, agriculture, cattle, etc.
DeRedwoods were actually native in most of europe, they only didn‘t survive the ice age (10.000 years ago) because the alpes were in the way, so they couldn‘t move south like in the US. I recently was in Hungary, Kōszeg, they have a really nice redwood tree there, plantet in 1895 i believe. I actually brought home a few seeds, but sadly i lost them.
@@DR_1_1 : The last glacial maximum, which ended a little over 10,000 years ago, scoured the British Isles. Essentially all of Britain's plant life is naturalised rather than native.
@@damonroberts7372 Of course the ice... now I see they did even grow on Iceland before that! In fact that family of tree was present on all continents, starting on Pangea!
@@libraryofgurkistan There are different species, but I don't think this Redwood in Hungary is native? You can find Redwoods and Sequoias in many public parks in Europe, or botanic gardens. Check in your area... My parents planted at least 3 of them in a plot of land, they are tall now.
Redwoods like damp ground and moist weather to some extent. Otherwise they perish. They tend to flourish in long lasting groves where they can find that.
I had one planted in front of my house in Folsom CA back around 2001. I occasionally go look at it on Google street view and it now about 40 or 50 feet tall. Doing quite well.
I found this video extremely comforting. Now I know there is a backup reservoir of trees that exist independent of (American) man's folly insuring the survival of the species.
These trees in the uk wont help at all. Sequoiadendron is not reprodjcing naturally in the UK which means they die out if noone plants new one. Sequoia sempervirens might have a chance, but local tree species will probably supress them.
Giant redwoods (sequoiadendron gigantium) are just one piece of the puzzle in the Northwest. The tallest trees today are in northern California and these are the coastal redwoods (seqouia sempervirens). The tallest being 380 ft. If you go a little further north into Oregon you get more douglas firs (pseudotsuga menziesii) which some were measured to be over 400 ft tall after being cut down.
A redwood forest in Britain sounds amazing. And leads to another idea (that won't happen): a redwood forest in Iceland. Don't even know if they'd grow there. But had a few been planted there back when they were all the rage in Britain? could have been pretty cool.
Sequoias were present on Iceland before the Ice Ages... otoh after the latest glaciation around 40% of Iceland was still covered with trees, that's before human settlements, but mostly birch apparently, and not all were tall. You could try to plant some Redwoods if you can find a place where trees grow well?
Thank you for holding a reserve of redwoods in the UK.. I would encourage you to keep a standing reverve for the next 3 centuries if possible. Now if you could convert those non-native pine plantations you have into native pine forests that would also be good.
@@EliotThexton of course I wrote UK not England and I was writing of the northern forests since there are reserves of redwoods in Scotland smal and isolated though they might be.
Redwoods were native to Greenland at one time. Coastal climate change there is enabling the conditions for starting new forests. I think we should start there, if anything.
Fun fact, the tree might in fact be a little hollow. Redwoods are often partially hollow at their base. Since the living wood is actually just under the bark, this does not hurt the tree. I have been to the Avenue of the Kings and have been inside a living redwood with 10 other people. No we were not crowded, it was just that big inside the tree. I'm glad there are redwoods in the UK. I recently found out there is a grove of redwoods in New Zealand south island. It make me happy to know that the redwoods are less likely to go extinct. Purist who want only native plants won't like it, but if the UK is like most of the world, the cat is out of the bag on that one. I imagine the UK has plenty of non native trees growing all over. A huge proper redwood forest would be so lovely. I was stationed in England in the mid eighties and was severely disappointed in the "forests" there. Rendlesham "forest" is a bloody tree farm, not a forest.
There might be a grove in the South Island but the well known one is in Rotorua which is in the North Island. They have a catwalk high off the ground so you walk amongst the trees with the ground way below and the canopy still high above.
@@damionkeeling3103 I probably misremembered which island the grove is on. Thank you for correcting me. I would love to walk on that catwalk sometime. Redwood trees are just magical. To people who have never seen them, it's hard to convey their enormous size.
you mentioned California being warmer, and it is on the whole a fair but warmer than the UK, however the redwoods are growing in a narrow band near the coast in nothern California, where it is kind of chilly, though mild enough and also wet enough from fairly cold moist air coming off the pacific ocean. more of the land area of UK fits the preferred climate for that tree than in California. another place where these trees are thriving is down in new zealand.
Love this video! General Sherman is one of the largest but, depending on how you define largest, there are bigger. The tallest tree is called Hyperion - another redwood in California. Its specific location is kept secret.
My concern with introducing non-native species is over how well we can predict the impact they'd have, especially long term. I'm thinking of the owls in Futurama and how the best intentioned plans can have long lasting negative impacts. Personally, I'd rather bolster our native woodlands (including using native trees to restore woodland to an area that has been lacking it for a while) than to sow a new, non-native one.
Yeah for sure the long term impacts are always hard to predict. Redwoods would certainly outcompete our native trees regeneration. But I was thinking about being really deliberate where you plant them 🤔
I understand and appreciate your concern. However, history has already shown it is pretty easy to remove this one species (happened in its native place of origin and they can't run and hide).
@@apveeningThis is true. The most annoying invasive species to cull are small, highly mobile, and fast growing, which the redwoods are kind of the opposite of.
I'm from the UK but I lived in Humboldt, CA for a year when I was at university - best decision of my life. Living amongst the Redwoods was an experience I will never forget. Bigger than you can fathom until you're face to face with the cushioned orangey bark. I'd recommend everyone to see them once in their life, incredible feats of life on earth. If you'd like any pointers for your trip out there hit me up, I haven't been back for a few years now but spent ~2y exploring the emerald triangle and all that is within.
Hi, I’m an American and I think it’s marvelous that Britain is growing these amazing trees. A Redwood forest would be an amazing thing to see over there. Even a splendid idea for tourism.
A few science facts were slightly off.... The micro climate in the narrow coastal belt of the Redwoods is actually much wetter than most of Britain (Manchester UK- 33 inches annual rainfall, Orick, CA 67 inches). But even this wet zone sees a 90 day dry season, where rain is replaced by a daily thick blanket of fog. And that is the Redwood's distinct adaptation- They drink fog through their needles. Taking water in from above and below enables them to grow to incredible height. SO, if this region of the UK gets regular fog in addition to rain, that answers why they're thriving.
Fun fact: mature coastal redwoods are too tall to pull water from their roots to their canopy. They need the fog to survive. That means that we've had fog on the northwest coast of America often enough for long enough for trees with thousand-year lifespans to evolve to depend on it.
I was talking to a local groundskeeper for a suburban wooded pathway who was clearing some downed trees. I forget the species but he mentioned that it was an invasive and then pointed out the incredible number of dead/dying trees in the immediate area. He mentioned they were all the same invasive species, and it wasn't that they were dying prematurely, but that WHEN they die, they stay standing FOREVER because none of the local insects or other decay-advancing critters feed on them. So you get entire chunks of woodland with dead tree after dead tree that won't fall and give up it's spot, creates a hazard anytime there's wind, is a huge potential fire risk and looks awful. I'd never really thought of TREES as invasive before. It's always fish or birds or toads or cats or such. But don't sleep on the idea that invasive trees can be a problem too.
Not a fire risk. Redwoods have tannin which is a natural fire retardant. Redwoods fossilize. How do you think there are 2,000 year old redwoods? They resist fires.
These trees will add to the existing beauty of your country. I have resided in California USA for around 30 years. I am not a botany expert so please take my comments with a grain of salt. A sequoia is a close cousin to the California coast redwood. Both are magnificent. The sequoia is larger on volume than the coast redwood, whereas the coast redwood is taller than the sequoia. If redwood were planted in Britain, here are some things to consider. The California coast redwood (not sure about the sequoia) has big commercial value if the forest is managed properly. The coast redwood does not have roots that are very strong and if Britain is subject to wind, these trees will blow over and shatter which ruins the lumber value. So, for the coast redwood trees, plant them close together. Doing this will help do two things. The weak roots are compensated for by having the trees close together. Planting them close will also encourage vertical growth with very few knot forming side branches for the first 120 feet or so. Clear knot free lumber is highly sought after. Some other points, California coast redwood trees are a little odd in that much of the water they use is absorbed through the"leaves". So if there are areas in Britain with coastal fog and rain with temps that don't fall much below freezing, great. Also if there are mountain ranges stepping down to the ocean, plant the forests in the sides and ravines , avoid the ridge tops. So far, my favorite area for viewing the California coast redwood is around the little town of Weott CA. Leave the 101 and take the old 101. Cheers.
I was fortunate to have been able to travel to California about 20 years ago. I absolutely fell in love with Muir woods, which has coastal redwoods, rather than giant sequoias. To this day it is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. I would love to see a woodland with both of those redwoods thriving here in the UK, especially if I am still around in the next 2,000 years. In small enough pockets I really can't see how they would be a detriment to our ecosystem. Congratulations on hitting 50k, Rob.
Epic, made a note of this location. Yeah i think if it was deliberately created in a degraded area, it could only enhance what’s there. Natives would always be best though.
There are two Redwoods in Builth Wells in Powys, Wales. They are lovely. A redwood forest may be interesting as they are thriving but could we concentrate on getting back our much needed raparian woodland in Scotland and Wales to save the Salmon and river dependant ecosystems. Plus we need our hedgrows re layed and woodland corridors regenerated.
I live in caithness i planted part of local golf course in thurso, grand fir, noble fir, larch, oak, hazel, rowans etc and a sequoia! (1980s)it is about 30ft tall now. (15 miles from john o groats. I am self employed gardener on a motorbike. Tree and nature lover grow my own trees, cuttings too. Sitka spruce has adapted well in scotland and if open grown live a long time (1,000 yrs in native canada) birds use them for seeds, shelter and foraging. I am planting trees in grounds of hotel where i work part time. Was spruce, larch in bits. Underplanting with oak, hazel birch, rowan etc. Doing it over last 8yrs or so.
Sitka spruce is an extremely important tree because it is used for piano soundboards. It is harder and harder to get the proper quality and quantity of sitka spruce. I hope Scotland plants a lot of them!
possibly one of the most endangered tree in the world is another California tree, the Torry pine. it literally has a less then 5 mile long 1 mile wide strip along the beach from Torry pines state park south.
There’s actually a really nice and impressive redwood forest in Cantabria in the north of Spain. They were planted in the 1940s so not quite fully grown yet by a long shot but it really is beautiful.. also a lot cheaper to get to!
In the 1980's I was behind a cabin in Ben Lomond, California sitting in a lawn chair surrounded by redwoods whose trunks were between three and four feet thick. Suddenly my perception changed. I realized I was sitting on what would have been the stump of a felled tree perhaps some twenty five feet across and that what I had thought of as trees were suckers from the stump of the original tree felled perhaps 90 years earlier.
The redwoods are definitely magnificent trees. I am also in California as one subscriber mentioned. I would highly recommend a visit to Roaring camp. It is in the Santa Cruz mountains here in northern California. The train rides are a wonderful way to experience the redwoods as the train passes thru the old groves. There is one that takes you to the beach boardwalk. You get an hour or so to enjoy till the train takes you back. I have fond memories of my visits there. Really enjoying your channel. Thank you for al you are doing for our beautiful planet. Blessings to you & all. Liliane
Here in British Columbia, we have forests of giant and ancient western red cedars (a close relative of the redwood), and other spectacular trees and plants. But less than 1% of these forests still stand. And despite 90% of the province wanting to save these forests, and numerous blockades including the largest act of disobedience in Canadian history. The provincial government is still allowing the destruction of these forests from logging companies, and is also lying about how much is left and being cut down! It is such a shame that this is still happening , as the protesting has been going on for over 50 years. You should come see these forests for yourself, as this would help spread public awareness for we can finally protect these forests!
@@dpeter6396 Yes that too, they are still being shipped overseas here. Which is causing the closure of all the local mills. At the end of the day, no one is winning from this other than the greedy logging companies and politicians.
I can see the pros of having a small pocket of Redwood as a species backup, but do redwoods really fit into the local ecosystem well enough to justify a redwood forest? Doug Tallamy's research indicates non-natives support significantly fewer insects (due to the majority of insect species being specialists of native plants). Insects are the primary method of transfering plant biomass to higher trophic levels, and it seems redwood trees thrive because they're not integrated into local food webs. disease, insect, or otherwise. I am a huge fan of this channel and would be very curious what your thoughts are in this respect.
This video is misleading, due to the fact that it's based on a news article that was incorrect (which has since been corrected, though as we can see, the damage has been done). The UK has 500,000 redwoods of all types (Giant Sequoia, Coast Redwood, and the Dawn Redwood, which is from China, not California), whereas the 80,000 number for California is just for Giant Sequoias, which are by far the most endangered of native redwoods in CA. CA has about 1.6 million acres of redwood forest (the vast majority being Coast Redwoods), and that amount of land can hold far more than 500,000 redwood trees.
Grew up in California close-ish to the redwoods and the forests are like nothing else. :) So happy to hear they are doing well elsewhere in the world. The really big coastal redwoods traditionally got a lot of their moisture from marine fog, which unfortunately there has been less and less of in recent years in CA.
@@LeaveCuriousredwoods, similar to other conifers, tend to block the sun and acidify the soil, having a small grove as an interest point does no harm but it isn't something we should promote to introduce in English forests
The northern limit of the coastal redwoods native range is right at the California-Oregon border not far south of where I live. The climate there is much like Britain -- cool and with abundant moisture. (fun fact -- Stout Grove, a redwood grove there, starred in Star Wars as the forest of the Ewoks). As global warming continues it's likely that their range will move north. They have already been planted on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State to see if they will self propagate as the climate there warms.
Its been my lifelong dream to go and visit the Redwoods in California! I was meant to go last year for my 40th but didn't have the funds! I'm hoping to go later this year but will probably end up being next year as things are just so damn expensive now. There are some in North West London that I visit sometimes. I have a video of them on my RUclips channel. I love all trees but being in the presence of such giants is magical
Didn't you do this last week? Got a Cali Coast Redwood in the front garden, it's thriving and making a mess of the pipework. Think the Cali Coast version is actually taller than the giant although nowhere as massive.
There are some down in Spain too, it's odd how we planted them for wood for such a long term that it is no longer worth it and it's turned into a small redwood forest, the more humid climate if northern Spain might help, however I truly believe more that the fire, the drought and all that and it's logging, which is to say deliberate destruction which can be easily avoidable what will destroy our most massive humbling forests
Please note two species of CA redwoods. One is tall and stout, other is taller (300ft_) which one do you have, and which one are you going to see? They are different
I would love to see them as windbreakers around Ireland. They would stabilise the climate of the island and allow re-growing of native oak woods. But so far Irish are only able to plant pines half a meter apart and then fall them all at once devastating what is left of the humus level of the ground.
The biggest sequoia I've seen is probably either the ones growing in Hothfield common or the one growing in howletts zoo! The specimens in Hothfield common are within a new growth forest!
Absolutely love your videos and as a native Californian it’s amazing to see our beautiful redwoods thriving elsewhere. Not all nonnative species are invasive. Another example that would be cool for you to showcase in a future video, while your in California would be the thriving parrot communities in Southern California!
I grew up in California and spent many family summer holidays at Sequoia National Park. But at 55, I was assigned by my company to a project in a southern suburb of London. One day I went for a walk in a nearby cemetery and did a double take at a well developed Sequoia! I discovered three more redwoods of various species in that suburb alone. Over the next several years I found Sequoias and redwoods all over Britain, from Carrbridge in Scotland to Wales to Chichester. There is a large redwood/Sequoia forest in Brookwood Cemetery near Farnborough that I think already qualifies as a UK Sequoia forest, as there are probably mor3 than one hundred such trees there. It is a magnificent place. We used to enjoy the challenge of trying to discover Sequoias at various tourist locations, such as Blenheim Palace, or around Lake Windermere, or near Shere in Surrey. Magnificent, beautiful trees!
The Coastal Redwoods are Sequoia semperviren. The Giant Redwoods like General Sherman are Sequoiadendron giganteum. I live in under and amongst the Sequoia sempervirens. How do I feel about a redwood forest planted in Britain? I am thrilled! They are beautiful trees, and anywhere in the world they will grow, they will enhance the human spirit. Thank you for making and posting this video.
We have many on campus where I work. I agree on the carbon capture point. Also they are home to many micro habitats for invertebrates. I have seen tree creepers in our trees. I don't think they should supersede the priority of native species. But they do have their place from a conservation point of view. Unlike rhododendron or laurel which are endemic frankly Others are right. This channel is under subscribed and under appreciated. I'm grateful for your efforts. Thank you.
The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) are very distinct, they should not be confused. Perhaps planting some Coast Redwoods around your Giant Sequoia's would make your forest in Britain even more amazing. The coast redwood is a faster growing tree that is thriving in California... yes, climate change is helping, as they eat carbon and drink water from the air.
I think the argument is that without fire the cones don't open, so they can't reproduce, hence they can't be invasive in the UK, even if they're non native. But yeah, agreed, I can think of better things to do than encouraging planting of exotic trees..
As a gardener, I have seen a fair few of these trees, some 100 feet or so tall... pretty awesome that these are relatively small in the grand scheme of things!
Well done. I traveled from Australia to California and saw the Redwoods. Unforgettable. The world's second tallest tree is Centurion - a Mountain Ash located in Tasmania.
It's third tallest living tree known at best. And since the list I was looking at listed only the single tallest example of each species it's possible there are multiple examples of the other two species that are taller which would bump it down the list.
A forest of redwoods in the uk? Got to be better than the endless lines of non native commercial pines in Scotland…
amen!
It's not just Scotland those are here too unfortunately, we're in East Anglia and the largest forest (Thetford forest) is largely just monoculture pine fields, obviously some nice bits but it must be majority monoculture. Or has small sprinkles of silver birch to look less monoculture.
Spruce, the planations we have in Scotland or Sitka Spruce also from the west coast of the US. Our native pines are the Scots Pine.
Look past the plantations and you will find we have awesome woodlands in Scotland , there are some fantastic heritage trees , plantations are just crop trees
@@bobbycrispy5459 absolutely, I’ve also seen new native plantations being planted. This doesn’t detract from the huge areas of commercial plantation remaining and new commercial plantations being started.
I think the person who posted this video is not aware that he is discussing two different species of tree. There are Redwood trees growing near the coast and Giant Sequoia trees growing inland and partially up the Sierra mountains. The General Sherman tree is a Giant Sequoia tree.
This guy is absolute wet wipe. California has millions
FAR different, Thanks for emphasizing that, as i just did in a newer comment.
Experts will tell you that Giant Sequoias can only grow high in the mountains, But I grew up in a suburb of Bakersfield CA, elevation 404ft, and there are two Giant Sequoia trees growing in front of the Junior High School I attended in the 1950's. In the 1940s, when they were planted, the "experts" told the school district that the seedlings were Giant Sequoias, not Coastal Redwoods, and the seedlings wouldn't survive. It is now 80 years later, and the trees are alive and growing every year. By the way, in Bakersfield it gets well over 100f, (37.78c), every summer, but that hasn't harmed the two Giant Sequoias yet.
@@oldgysgt i'm in bakersfield what school are you talking about?
@@reelthing4u; Standard. It's on North Chester.
Had no idea Britain had redwoods. That's absolutely great to hear.
I had no idea it was half a million!
@@LeaveCuriousYeah I knew we had some, but I didn't have any idea it was 600 times the amount they have in California!
Me neither! ;-) @@LeaveCurious
@@PiousMoltar 600 times? It's not *that* much more.
@@LeaveCurious I know at least on other European country that has them, Romania has a few. I wonder how many other counties have them?
Californian here. Never thought I'd hear a brit talking about Redwoods in Britain. Glad to see our lovely trees getting recognition and regular foggy mist!
I've often noticed little microcosms of fog and mist over an area in Northern Ireland called Kilbroney park and maybe that's due to the Redwoods, never really made the link but they are massive trees!
@@roundtowerproductions Yes, coast redwoods actually make their own fog (though the weather needs to be at least a bit foggy naturally). Their needles are designed to catch the fog and morning dew, and drip it onto the ground, and then it gets soaked up by their roots and released back into the air. Redwoods like this cool damp environment protected from harsh sun, and so grow best in large groves and forests where they can create their foggy home. Solitary redwoods are often drier than they'd like to be, and can start losing foliage in harsh sun. The loosely planted scattered trees you see in the video leave the redwoods too exposed, so they're not as healthy as they could be.
Regarding the 80,000 redwoods in California - these are specifically for the giant Sequoias in the Sierra Nevada. The more common redwood is the coastal Redwood, which are the tallest trees in the world. These grow in people's backyards and parks all across Northern California and their numbers are well in the millions. But the difference is that they can only get super tall along the coast of California.
And even when it is in your backyard… there wasn’t a single day I didn’t say hello and feel something very special around those trees. Especially my albino favorite I would see often!!!
Think that’s because most redwoods you see in the suburbs are aptos blue redwoods. A variety propagated for the nursery trade several decades ago. These only grow to about 30-50’ and can tolerate heat more. They also have a blue tint to them
There’s a bunch of different redwood varieties. There’s even a bush/drawf one that maxes out about 5’ lol
Yeah, this bugged me. There are about 5,000 giant sequoias in the UK, about 80,000 in California. The rest of the UK redwood population is coastal redwoods (of which there are still 1.5 million acres of forest in California, though only about 5% of that is old growth, the rest having been logged and regrown at some time in the past) and Chinese dawn redwoods (which are very endangered in their native habitat but widely grown ornamentally all over).
California has Mediterranean climate. It would be easy for the tree to mature in southern Europe.
@@OmperDomperthe Po valley or northern/western Spain and Portugal (Galicia, cantabria, Porto area) would probably be perfect for coast redwoods as they even get similar fog to Northern California and have almost the exact same climate conditions
I'm a microbiologist in California who specializes on coastal redwoods, and I have been a huge fan of your channel since it started! If you'd like a tour of what the species is capable of, feel free to reach out to me as a resource/guide! My partner is an archeologist, and we are incredibly well versed in their local history, so maybe we could be helpful for your research. :)
Awesome thank you, maybe email me or if i ever put a post out about it, remind me!
So I used to live in the Redwoods and maybe you can answer this question. Often cut redwoods will send up fairy rings or root sprouts. Since it's from the original tree ( I assume) can the fairy rings count as the original tree just regrown or do you start the age of the tree from the rings on the existing root sprout? Like if it's genetically the same material as the 1,000 year old tree would it be 1,100 years old, just fresh growth? I guess this is the was what I tried to tell myself to feel better about the grief of all the lost trees.
Love the question Alexis! Tree age is determined in trees by the rings of the trunk. Birch are another example of trees that tend to reproduce through roots, and the trunks they send out will only grow to be around 10-35 years old, but the root system will live on for thousands of years.
I didn’t see any redwood saplings growing around the UK redwoods. Are they not reproducing? If so can they be thought of as thriving in the Uk if they are not reproducing?
@@saronite5236the root sprouting is in response to the tree being cut. In CA you'll have a gigantic stump and 10 -20 feet out you'll get a fairy ring. Which can be quite magical in thier own right. One of these was set up as a firepit/ glen at someone's campground I was at once.
As an American, I'm relieved to learn this. I'd no idea that they existed outside the US. It's good to know they have a second home.
Not just a second home in the UK, redwoods are all over Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Chile. Botanists and tree enthusiasts in the 19th Century collected massive numbers of discarded pinecones from the logging operations in California when word spread of the size of the trees being felled there.
Theres an estimated 1.1 million Coastal Redwoods and Giant Sequoias outside the United States and the oldest ones are still just half the height of the mature Californian trees.
I guess northern Europe in general would be a good place to grow Redwoods.
We have a few Sequoiadendron giganteum trees in southern Sweden too, they grow well here.
That's so cool.
Canada too.
I think you are mixing up two different species of Redwoods. The Sequoia of the Sierra Nevada propagates by seeds while the Coastal Redwoods propagate by root stock similar to Aspen. The coastal trees are valuable as timber while the sequoias are not. The Sierra trees are used to hot summers and cold winters and grow slowly. The coastal trees milk the the fog from the ocean, so the ground underneath is always damp plus they don't get extreme temperatures. I could go on but I think you get the picture.
I think the ones in your video are sequoiadendron giganteum or giant sequoias. Those grow in the Sierra and are the largest (most massive) trees in the world. Sequoia sempervirens or coastal redwoods are as michaelogle1315 noted found on the coast and thrive in those foggy conditions. They’re not as massive as the giant sequoia but are the world’s tallest trees. General Sherman is the most massive tree and he’s a giant sequoia. The world’s tallest tree is a coastal redwood named Hyperion and researchers keep its location secret to protect it. Sure you could say that when you’re using the word “redwood” you’re referring to the subfamily Sequoioideae which includes both as well as the Dawn Redwood from China- but most Californians will think of redwoods as well redwoods (costal redwoods) and sequoias as Giant Sequoias which are a four or five hour drive away on a totally different mountain range. This seems like nitpicking I know but when you do visit you probably want to know which you’re doing because they’re not exactly neighbors :)
we have millions in Japan they planted them on the side of the road and the roots after 40 years damaged roads and after 10 years the money it cost to cut and take the roots up and repair the road enormous ,also a creeping vine from tsuru strangles many treas
Nice rundown but oldest tree, not even close. The high mountain trees like limber pine and bristle cone are older by thousands of years.@@LetHimEatCake
The Dawn Redwood _Metaseqoia glyptostroboides_ is a living fossil - known only from fossils until identified in China.
@@michaelogle1315 that’s right. There’s a bristlecone pine that they call Methuselah that’s generally considered the oldest I think. There are also some sacred trees in other parts of the world that are often overlooked.
As a sasquatch, I heartily endorse this planting project in the UK. It will make me feel right at home if I go there on vacation. Please plant more. Thank you. Benny
Bay Area native here.. LOVE these behemoths! Just went to Muir Woods a couple months ago and there’s NOTHING like it ❤️ Glad to see they’re making their way to our UK brothers and sisters
I'd love to see our native temperate rainforest re-established, but there is surely enough land for a redwood forest or two as well. Maybe one day we could be sending seedlings and young trees to California to help restore the forests there.
They are not dying off. They cut them down 100 years ago. California still has stands of redwoods that could cover UK
@@Trash-Castle Even at their peak they only covered 8,100 km2 which is around 3% of the UK, since then of course their population has declined massively. So not even remotely close to covering the uk.
@@DavidCruickshank you are right. I was being facetious
But why would you do that? California is so bad at everything that they'd just wipe them out eventually no matter what you do. I'm surprised that California Red-Sided Garter Snakes aren't extinct in the wild already. Yeah the Redwoods would fare better over there. I don't think they'd acclimate very well to where I live, but I saw some of those
Giant Sequoias once, so those trees should be pretty impressive once they get big enough, and all the castles and megaliths make your country look like a fairy tale setting- enjoy the giant trees.
@@N0sf3r4tuR1s3nThe reason that the California red-sided garter snake isn't extinct yet is because it is a protected species. It is considered endangered by both the state of California and the government of the United States. The state of California will move the human race back two hundred years to save a snail.
The largest living tree by volume is Sequoiadendron Giganteum, the Giant Sequoia, the species shown in this video. Sequoia semprevirens, the California Coast Redwood, is the tallest of all trees. Both are called redwoods, but are not the same tree. A lot of the info in this video is a mix of facts about both trees interchangeably even though they are no more similar to one another than pines are to spruces. Still awesome to see them covered here!
Yes a very important clarification there. Ok so I've been lucky enough to visit Sequoia NP & Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP and a few others, but this is this guys subject, he should know and clarify the difference.
We have Dawn Redwoods here in the UK too apparently, although I'm yet to visit one
yeah spot on!
Indeed. I stopped listening at that point, because the creator has clearly not done their research.
@@MattRussellUK I wouldn't go that far, most sources conflate them and if you aren't from the united states you are unlikely to have ever seen the trees in person to differentiate them.
There's a huge Redwood at Crathes Castle, Aberdeenshire. It is beautiful.
Think I’ve seen photos of this one!!
Castles and giant trees? Yeah y'all really live in a fairy tale land. Maybe I'll come visit sometime, North Carolina is great, but it's been a while since I've been on vacation outside of the country.
@@N0sf3r4tuR1s3nI wouldn't go to Londanistan.
@@yodasmomisondrugs7959 Please tell me where you reside, so I can be sure to not go near it.
There was one in (I think) the Forglen estate just north of Turiff. I remember it from a holiday there probaby 20 years ago.
Thanks
I'm almost sixty. When I was a kid, everybody in America had redwood outdoor furniture sitting on their redwood decks because they were so rot and pest resistant. Not anymore!
The population of the US was over 200 million in 1970.
You visited every one of those households and confirmed that they owned refwood furniture?
@@codymoe4986bad faith dude
From what ive heard redwoods have out-evolved all of the diseases and pests that would take them down. Im in OR and our red cedars are similarly badass with stumps and nurse logs lasting hundreds of years cause nothing can eat them!
Yeah Cody, don't be a donkey
@@codymoe4986 Snarky ass. you know what he is saying.
As a long- time supporter of Redwoods and the Save-the-Redwoods League, I'm very happy to learn about the Redwoods in Great Britain. I live in Minnesota, but we are growing Redwoods in the nearby state of Michigan. Wherever they can be grown, we should plant them.
I have them on my property in Washington state. They are much larger than ones of the same age in N. California.
The sempervirends funds was a complete scam created by eco scammers to extort money from the uninformed citizens. BLM much
They can be grown almost anywhere in the eastern US, but they may not grow as large as the ones in California. You can buy redwood seedlings online.
re the League: you need to read The Ghost Forest: Racists, Radicals, and Real Estate in the California Redwoods by Greg King.
I think a Redwood forest in Britain would be fantastic!! 🌲🌲🌲I live in California and have been to the Redwoods - I think everyone should be able to visit them at least once in their lifetime! 💪🏻👍🏻👏🏻🙏🏻🤗
Awesome :)
@@LeaveCurious In California, Sequoiadendron giganteum, which are native to the lower Sierra mountains, is known as Sequoia. These trees you are showing are Sequoia. Sequoia sempervirens, which are native to the mild Coast Range mountains, are called Redwoods. Sierra Sequoia are far wider trees and grow older than the taller Coastal Redwoods.
@@ydnei think he is just grouping both species, though to be honest the coastal redwood creates the more bio diverse forest. That's not to say that sequoia's don't allow for biodiversity but they tend to be in dryer regions.
They make amazing bonsai too
@@LeaveCurious Why? Personally I would rather we concentrate on re-establishing native old growth forests. I am not opposed to individual Redwoods, or stands or small groves, but I WOULD be opposed to entire forests of Redwoods in the UK when our own native forests are in such a poor state.
I would rather see us concentrate on setting up and sustaining native oak old growth forests for example.
Red woods get most their water from the air. They soak it up from the top branches. So if you want them to grow as much as they can, plant them somewhere that gets a lot of moisture in the air.
Umm, that is pretty much the whole of the UK, doesn't stop raining all year round :)
Ireland.
they grow really well in Norway too.
@@jogolock1190 not rain more like fog or mist . And I only say anything because the ones he shows are super small compared to what we have here in Cali
@@Raylen_Fa-ield coastal redwoods are as you say, but this video seems to be entirely about giant sequoias, which grown in a dry climate (hence the extremely fire resistant bark) and get their water from melting snowpack
The format of this video is top tier. The lack of unnecessary musical overlays and thematic editing is very refreshing to see on RUclips today. The strength of your narration and the sounds of natural backdrops make for easy viewing and truly engaging content. Well done, and keep up the good work. Happy to subscribe for more of this right here.
Too bad it's full of misinformation due to the fact the poster doesn't know the difference between two species of trees.
@wiredforstereo he fails to distinguish the differences between the coastal redwood and giant sequoia, sure but his production quality is wonderful.
@benny4894 If your facts aren't facts, your production isn't quality.
There are redwoods growing in New Zealand too.
Did you know that there’s 3 types of redwood too- Coastal Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) the tallest tree in the world, Giant Redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) the oldest tree in the world and the Dawn Redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) which was previously thought to be extinct until 1941 when it was found in China and is also the only deciduous redwood
Yes
Now that is a person that loves redwoods. I learned more for your commment than I did in the video. I thoguht there was only 1 species of redwood (sequoia). I do think its cool Redwoods are in the UK. I hope everyone that sees this comment will also show my RedDog RubyDoo some love on Pawsuasive Dog Teaching. My RubyDoo knows over 60 tasks so far and for every 1000k subs she gets a steak dinner.
Yes I did, I have planted examples of each of them.
What you wrote is mostly correct. Sequoiadendron giganteium is not the oldest tree in the world. Check out the bristlecone pine. That is usually considered the species with the oldest individual tree.
Yes, and in California, sempervirens is located mostly in the north coast rain forest, while the big trees are usually grouped in the central and northern Sierra Nevada and foothills. Before the population explosion from the 1849 gold rush, even the hills surrounding San Francisco Bay were shaded by their majestic canopy. Demand for lumber soon brought that era to a close, with only a few groves remaining. (And a belligerent invader, the Eucalyptus, took possession of many of the wild hillsides.)
I was weeding near our local 159 year old redwood with a 6.5m girth today. It was being awesome as usual! At Dunollie House in Oban, right next door to our local temperate rainforest, Dunollie Woods.
Ooo nice, ill have to visit
We've got three of them ( S. giganteum) here at Leckmelm. Two from the 1870/80's and one self-seeder around 22 years old, now 3m tall. We also have a 5m Dawn Redwood, 25 years old.
I have a look for it one day when I'm on a mainland shopping visit from the island.
The "Oban" I know is in Southern New Zealand. I think it is the one and only, small town settlement where the ferry lands, on the small island of "Stewart Island" just off the South of NZ's 2 main islands. I have a funny feeling that the original "Oban" is somewhere in North Britain, perhaps the Orkney or Shetland Islands ? There are a handful of Californian Redwood trees hereabouts. One about 100 years old was planted outside a local primary school. When they demolished the original old building to re-build the school, they did indeed leave the Redwood tree intact.
@KiwiCatherineJemma Dunollie house is in Oban on the west coast of Scotland. Also a very important harbour with ferry services going to many islands. Very likely the origin of the name. I never knew there was an Oban in New Zealand. Although there seems to still be a strong connection between New Zealand and Scotland. I know of a few farmers who have gone between the two as it has a similar climate and sheep.
There's a forest of them in New Zealand too, at a place unimaginatively called The Redwoods near Rotorua.
They were planted in the 1920's as part of an experiment to see what exotic wood tree could best replace the timber needs that were at the time being met by felling native forests. Redwoods, some Australian Eucalyptus species, Douglas Fir, and Monterey Pine, maybe others were selected for the trials.
In the end it was found that Monterey Pine was best suited for the needs, growing ridiculously quickly, today in plantations with 70 years of growing experience it's being found that they're getting 40-50 metres in height in just 30 years.
The redwoods were left where they were, and today the stand of them is a popular tourist destination in an already popular tourist town.
That's kinda funny because California had the genius idea of adding Eucalyptus everywhere around the same time for cheap paper pulp. And even though it's not New Zealand, your neighbor Tasmania might have had trees even taller than redwoods that were turned to timber too.
Having surveyed trees in the Pacific Northwest I would have guessed Doug Fir would have done the best because their range is bigger/further north than Monty Pines but I guess New Zealand hit the sweet spot.
@@inuendo6365 My parents planted Eucalyptus and Sequoias in a plot of land in Europe, the Sequoias are tall now, but all Eucalyptus died after 10-15 years. Too humid and cold winters I guess...
Redwoods and Sequoias are from the Cypress family, present on Pangea before the continents split, so at some point in time they were growing on all continents I suppose.
In the UK the Forestry Commission did similar research to investigate alternative timber trees, including Monkey Puzzle trees.
I know there’s a few Sequoia in Whanganui, I’ve seen the redwoods near Rotorua. They’re still babies
Same here in the State of Victoria, Australia we have a similar aged forest of Sequoia, Also many central Victorian botanic gardens have sequoia over 150 years old. Perhaps the Californian miners brought them over during the 1850s gold rushes to Ballarat, Bendigo and other nearby localities?.
So quick bit of info. Coastal redwoods are the tallest trees in the world, and the largest by volume. Giant sequoia, like general sherman, are the largest by diameter.
Coastal redwood grow in coastal fogbelt areas. Sequoia grow in dry highland climates.
Also, the conditions that redwoods thrive in are similar to great britain. Most days of the year in a redwood grove have fog. Also, while they don't get much rainfall, 40% of their water comes directly from the fog. Temperatures float between 50 and 65 degrees F about 80% of the time.
Redwoods also have elevated epiphyte mats to help take in the fog that allows them to grow tall. So even in a wet environment they won't grow to their full potential without the amount of fog you see in places like Northern California or the Po valley. They'd probably do better in the Po valley than in great britain. Its the closest climate to their native range.
Lastly, redwoods grow in "families" and have interconnected root systems. Planted them in rows like a cypress doesn't help them grow to their full potential either.
I live in Oakland, CA. I hike daily in large redwood (Sequoia Sempervirens) forests walking distance from my house. I've been doing this for over 30 years & am still blown away by these trees everytime. Hiking in a redwood forest sends one into a mental captivation, a reverie. I joke that they keep me out of prison!
I had no idea, until your video, that there are so many (6x over CA) redwoods in the UK (I'm guessing this # refers to Giant Sequoias rather than Coastal Redwoods).
Yes, I'm biased, but you can't plant too many redwoods. There are no downsides & everyone benefits.
In my hometown in Norway in the last few years, I've planted a lot of acorns from the oldest oak here. In various forests where there's been logging. And fewer horse chestnut trees(even if they're not native, they may be low thread). Some have grown, and it's really interesting to keep an eye on them, and see them get bigger each year, even if small yet.
Nemrai,
I do the same, here in Montana. Gather acorns as well as chestnuts in town ( Missoula ) and when i come upon a guĺley with water in the forests i toss a handfull or two out. I've done my part, it's now up to a higher power... ☆
That's awesome, well done all, you heroes with no capes, you. 🎉❤
I was born not too far from a redwood grove in California and have seriously considered moving to the UK. The idea of a forest of redwoods in a chosen home following me from where I was born is magical.
If you like , I’ll swap you. I live near London.
@@hoonaticbloggs5402 The relevant comparison would be with Los Angeles. Hardly better, rather worse.
@@Vingul I like hermosa 🙂. But where I live is on the outskirts of London. Biggin hill . It’s very green. Charles Darwin walked the same valleys I do when he wrote his theory of evolution.
I do love the wild areas of California.
@@hoonaticbloggs5402I was gonna say. Looking at the state of the UK I wonder if that person knows they are down grading. No offense, my great great grandmother was from Leeds and I wanted to go visit her home town and all of England one day. But seeing the foreign hordes that have taken over those cities it seems like a bad idea because I WILL NOT be getting the traditional "English" experience. Good luck to you guys over there, get those fekers off of your land and out of the country. The Irish people seem to be getting the right idea on how to handle it. My dads people have been in California for thousands of years and my moms all came from Europe. I wanna see the old world one day where she came from please clean it up and MAGA, MAKE ENGLAND GREAT AGAIN!.
@@Vingul I live on the Avemue of the Giants in California we are over 1000 KIlometers from LA (600 miles) We live in a temperate rain forest LA is in the desert.
Cali boy here. I love our Redwoods, and hope that in a few generations kids will still get to see these amazing trees in their natural habitat.
Yeah thats what it all about, ensuring these habitats can thrive for future generations to enjoy
Have you seen redwood bonsai? They’re not natural but they’re beautiful.
We've got some huge costal Redwoods in Grootvaderbosch nature reserve in the Western Cape South Africa.!! They will survive long past my lifetime ❤️
As the California-born son of a British father, please help save these trees. If climate change and fires end their existence, the whole world loses a magical species. Britain is a lovely home for them. Also, beware that their roots often run wide and shallow. Too much foot traffic can compact the dirt around their roots enough that they can fall in strong winds.
If you go visit redwoods come to Santa Cruz my home town. Henry Cowell has some absolutely massive specimens and in some parts of the forest you can find very rare albino redwoods.
Noted! Albino redwoods, now I’m intrigued!
I am in the US, and have never seen a Redwood, much less an albino!
Owwwww albino redwoods have me intrigued too!...... 😀
The video is actually about Giant Sequoias, which are also called Giant Redwoods. Though I'm sure he'd also love to see the Coastal Redwood forests.
@@crispyglove Sequoia Gigantia (in the Sierras) Sequoia Semperviron (Coastal Redwoods) Monterey county to the Oregon border and a few in Oregon too....
I live in a Redwood forest in the northern, very foggy Santa Cruz Mtns in California. I have 4 acres of redwoods here that are approaching and/or exceeding 200feet tall, but they are only 100+ years old. This whole area of Kings Mtn was clear-cut up til 1925. These coastal redwoods need fog to feed the tops of the trees. As I am at1300 ft and 4 miles from the ocean, there are many foggy nights and some days. The problem in California has been the 5 year drought that just passed. Many fallen redwood branches are covered with lichen because the trees are weaker now. (Both of my cars have been smashed by these falling rockets called "widow makers").. I still love it here after 21 yrs.
I have actually thought of buying some land in Ioannina, Greece and planting a Redwood Forest. Ioannina receives a staggering 1000 to 1200mm of rain and then goes through the same kind of hot summer the redwoods would experience in their native range. I was thinking to do it next to the university campus ^_^
Sequoias (sequoiadendron giganteum) would do fine in that climate' coast redwoods (sequoia sempervirens) do well in hot summers only if they get sufficient fog at night. They need moist soil but that's isn't sufficient for them. they need the additional water from fog condensation.
@@jamesdoyle2769 Cheers I will keep that in mind! This is more of a long term plan as I am implementing a permaculture design on our own land at the moment.
@@futurecaredesign Why not plant a native forest instead?
@@thomasvan7738 For the exact reasons mentioned in this video.
Note that the giant sequoias in california are up in the sierra nevada mountains. Like 2000m above sea level and hence in a much cooler climate than california flatlands or greece. They are in area where there can be snow for over 6-8 months a year. They dont need this cold climate, i grow them in the netherlands, but i see that with the warmer summers with long dry periods here they are struggling. I would not bet my money on redwoods in greece....
Cool video. I live in California and love the Sequoia Trees. I did not know there were so many in the UK. I’ve visited England once and loved it. Hope you come to see them here in CA soon.
I had the joy of visiting the Muir Redwoods, near San Francisco. Spent hours just walking around the Park, gazing in awe at these magnificent Trees.
I've planted 10 of these along with 40 endangered black poplar trees.
All phantom planted in the community.
I've definitely offset my carbon footprint 😂
I wish I had the land to plant forests. I've added a few redwoods to my local woodland but we need a redwood forest.
The world is forever changing and so should we.💚
Good work Jordan, definitely offset your carbon footprint, lol! Are you in the US or UK?
🫡🇬🇧
Just think of maintenance when you plant. Services like power lines and drainage. Arborist work is expensive.
@@bennichols1113Thankyou for the advice. I say the community but they have been planted on land or field's left to rewild in the area. Woodland and my allotment. Mostly away from built up areas.
@@gaiavoice uk, Yorkshireman
One maybe small correction or note, if you will: the Redwood is not the tallest tree in the world of all time, but is the current tallest living tree in the world. The Coast Douglas Fir that lives in the Pacific Northwest is in fact (or was), the tallest living tree in the world, prior to logging.
The tallest Douglas firs reached heights of over 400 feet, many of which that were recorded and measured at over 450 ft tall! The current tallest Coastal Redwood in the world is or was some 100 feet or so shorter than the tallest ever recorded Douglas fir! But the vast majority of the oldest, biggest, and tallest Douglas firs were cut down long ago around the same time that the Coastal Redwoods were cut. So currently yes, the Coast Redwood is the tallest living tree species in the world. We have a lot more old growth Doug fir left than Coast Redwood, but the issue lies in that the largest and tallest of them grew in lowland river valleys in or around the Willamette Valley and Pudget Sound, which were the first to be hit by early logging and settlement. Cities like Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver were largely built over old growth forests.
The remaining old growth Douglas firs we have left do not even come close to the sizes and heights the oldest ones once were.
The Redwoods to an extent had some advantage over the Douglas firs, in that they were initially harder to access growing in mountainous areas. Lots of old growth Douglas firs also remain in more mountainous areas, but the largest of them grew in the absolute easiest places to harvest early on, and they were so much more widespread than the Redwoods too, that we never got a "Save the Douglas firs" movement early on like the Redwoods did-it was assumed that ours would never run out. Doug fir is by far the dominant tree in the PNW and old growth Douglas firs stretched from the coast to the mountains and all across the inland valleys between the coast, coastal ranges, and Cascades.
I like the idea of preserving Redwoods in other places. I think that is a great idea. I would also suggest similar for other massive west coast species like the Douglas fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Redcedar, Western Larch, etc, but I don't think any of those can compare in dire need as the Redwoods. The Redwoods have a much smaller native range and generally far more threatened, compared to the wider ranges of the Douglas fir, Sitka Spruce, Western Larch, etc.
After decades of research, Dr Robert Van Pelt (aka “Big Tree Bob”) - an affiliate professor at the University of Washington, USA, and currently one of the world’s foremost experts in giant trees - is sceptical about many of the large tree specimens reported in the 19th century, as mis-measurements were rife.
In his opinion, the tallest Eucalyptus regnans from Australia that can be definitively believed was the Thorpdale Tree (aka Cornthwaite Tree) located in the Gippsland area of Victoria, which measured 114.3 m (375 ft) when felled in 1880. He believes that the tallest accurately measured redwood (including historical measurements) is the current tallest living tree - Hyperion, in Redwood National Park, California, USA - at 115.85 m (380 ft 1 in) as of 2017. For Douglas fir, the tallest measurements he is convinced by are those of the Mineral Tree, which grew near Mt Rainier in Washington, USA. It was measured by independent sources at 119.79 m (393 ft) before it blew over in 1930. A figure of 126.5 m (415 ft) for a Douglas fir in the Lynn Valley in British Columbia, Canada, is also described in Forest Giants of the World: Past and Present, and although there is no independent confirmation, it could feasibly be accurate, according to Dr Van Pelt.
Been to see the Redwoods, both Sequoia and Coastal several times in California, they are mesmerising to walk amongst, so yes would be fabulous to have a Redwood forest in Britain, but it'll take hundreds if not thousands of years before they grow as tall and as massive as those in California.
There is a Sequoiadendron giganteum in my local Arboretum and I happened to visit that tree just yesterday. It is truly a fascinating specimen which has been doing surprisingly well in the wet and sunless Dutch climate. Now some 120 years old it towers all the other trees in the park.
Now for some local lore - The very day that specific giant redwood was planted a boy was born right next door. And for the next 106 years they would be celebrating their birthdays together.
Where they grow on the California coast is similarly sunless and cloudy. There is another tree that grows perhaps faster than that and would easily put up with Dutch weather, and that's the North American Eastern Cottonwood which grows 7 to 8 feet in diameter and 150 feet high. It likes wetter soil but puts up with anything. One that was cut down as a nuisance near me had a trunk that was 2 feet in diameter but was only 18 years old. They are majestic hardwoods somewhat elm-like from a distance, Similar size and growth rate are American Sycamore but more finicky regarding soil, preferring wetter only.
Redwood forest in Britain sounds great! Don’t forget to plant some of the Giant Sequoias, as well!
Sequoias don't struggle in California when they're in gardens or various other plantings.It's no surprise that they'd thrive in Britain, since that was part of their native range before the Pleistocene.
I wonder how and when they disappeared from Britain... considering that 95% of US specimens were cut down in 100 or 200 years, I would not surprised if they were still present in Europe when early civilizations appeared?
The Mediterranean sea was surrounded by a continuous belt of forest, mostly cedars I believe, until the bronze age development, then all the trees were then used for forges, building houses and ships, agriculture, cattle, etc.
DeRedwoods were actually native in most of europe, they only didn‘t survive the ice age (10.000 years ago) because the alpes were in the way, so they couldn‘t move south like in the US.
I recently was in Hungary, Kōszeg, they have a really nice redwood tree there, plantet in 1895 i believe.
I actually brought home a few seeds, but sadly i lost them.
@@DR_1_1 : The last glacial maximum, which ended a little over 10,000 years ago, scoured the British Isles. Essentially all of Britain's plant life is naturalised rather than native.
@@damonroberts7372 Of course the ice... now I see they did even grow on Iceland before that! In fact that family of tree was present on all continents, starting on Pangea!
@@libraryofgurkistan There are different species, but I don't think this Redwood in Hungary is native?
You can find Redwoods and Sequoias in many public parks in Europe, or botanic gardens. Check in your area...
My parents planted at least 3 of them in a plot of land, they are tall now.
Redwoods like damp ground and moist weather to some extent. Otherwise they perish. They tend to flourish in long lasting groves where they can find that.
I had one planted in front of my house in Folsom CA back around 2001. I occasionally go look at it on Google street view and it now about 40 or 50 feet tall. Doing quite well.
I found this video extremely comforting. Now I know there is a backup reservoir of trees that exist independent of (American) man's folly insuring the survival of the species.
These trees in the uk wont help at all. Sequoiadendron is not reprodjcing naturally in the UK which means they die out if noone plants new one. Sequoia sempervirens might have a chance, but local tree species will probably supress them.
Giant sequoias and redwoods grow in mild climates and also in foggy areas. They get their water from fog and late winter rains
Giant redwoods (sequoiadendron gigantium) are just one piece of the puzzle in the Northwest. The tallest trees today are in northern California and these are the coastal redwoods (seqouia sempervirens). The tallest being 380 ft. If you go a little further north into Oregon you get more douglas firs (pseudotsuga menziesii) which some were measured to be over 400 ft tall after being cut down.
A redwood forest in Britain sounds amazing.
And leads to another idea (that won't happen): a redwood forest in Iceland. Don't even know if they'd grow there. But had a few been planted there back when they were all the rage in Britain? could have been pretty cool.
Sequoias were present on Iceland before the Ice Ages... otoh after the latest glaciation around 40% of Iceland was still covered with trees, that's before human settlements, but mostly birch apparently, and not all were tall.
You could try to plant some Redwoods if you can find a place where trees grow well?
I want Redwoods on Iceland also! Right now it’s a mostly blank canvas.
Thank you for holding a reserve of redwoods in the UK.. I would encourage you to keep a standing reverve for the next 3 centuries if possible. Now if you could convert those non-native pine plantations you have into native pine forests that would also be good.
england doesn't have native pine forests. only scotland.
@@EliotThexton of course I wrote UK not England and I was writing of the northern forests since there are reserves of redwoods in Scotland smal and isolated though they might be.
Redwoods were native to Greenland at one time. Coastal climate change there is enabling the conditions for starting new forests. I think we should start there, if anything.
@ConontheBinarian Fossil fuels aren't the reason for climate change. It's a fraud.
Fun fact, the tree might in fact be a little hollow. Redwoods are often partially hollow at their base. Since the living wood is actually just under the bark, this does not hurt the tree. I have been to the Avenue of the Kings and have been inside a living redwood with 10 other people. No we were not crowded, it was just that big inside the tree.
I'm glad there are redwoods in the UK. I recently found out there is a grove of redwoods in New Zealand south island. It make me happy to know that the redwoods are less likely to go extinct. Purist who want only native plants won't like it, but if the UK is like most of the world, the cat is out of the bag on that one. I imagine the UK has plenty of non native trees growing all over. A huge proper redwood forest would be so lovely. I was stationed in England in the mid eighties and was severely disappointed in the "forests" there. Rendlesham "forest" is a bloody tree farm, not a forest.
There might be a grove in the South Island but the well known one is in Rotorua which is in the North Island. They have a catwalk high off the ground so you walk amongst the trees with the ground way below and the canopy still high above.
@@damionkeeling3103 I probably misremembered which island the grove is on. Thank you for correcting me. I would love to walk on that catwalk sometime. Redwood trees are just magical. To people who have never seen them, it's hard to convey their enormous size.
you mentioned California being warmer, and it is on the whole a fair but warmer than the UK, however the redwoods are growing in a narrow band near the coast in nothern California, where it is kind of chilly, though mild enough and also wet enough from fairly cold moist air coming off the pacific ocean. more of the land area of UK fits the preferred climate for that tree than in California. another place where these trees are thriving is down in new zealand.
Love this video! General Sherman is one of the largest but, depending on how you define largest, there are bigger. The tallest tree is called Hyperion - another redwood in California. Its specific location is kept secret.
My concern with introducing non-native species is over how well we can predict the impact they'd have, especially long term. I'm thinking of the owls in Futurama and how the best intentioned plans can have long lasting negative impacts.
Personally, I'd rather bolster our native woodlands (including using native trees to restore woodland to an area that has been lacking it for a while) than to sow a new, non-native one.
Yeah for sure the long term impacts are always hard to predict. Redwoods would certainly outcompete our native trees regeneration. But I was thinking about being really deliberate where you plant them 🤔
I understand and appreciate your concern. However, history has already shown it is pretty easy to remove this one species (happened in its native place of origin and they can't run and hide).
@@apveeningThis is true. The most annoying invasive species to cull are small, highly mobile, and fast growing, which the redwoods are kind of the opposite of.
@@Heligoland360 In some places they have to compete with Leylandii :)
@@LeaveCuriousredwoods aren’t really invasive tho? They need fire to survive!
I'm from the UK but I lived in Humboldt, CA for a year when I was at university - best decision of my life. Living amongst the Redwoods was an experience I will never forget. Bigger than you can fathom until you're face to face with the cushioned orangey bark.
I'd recommend everyone to see them once in their life, incredible feats of life on earth.
If you'd like any pointers for your trip out there hit me up, I haven't been back for a few years now but spent ~2y exploring the emerald triangle and all that is within.
Do you see any sasquatch hammocks swinging in the canopies?
Hi, I’m an American and I think it’s marvelous that Britain is growing these amazing trees. A Redwood forest would be an amazing thing to see over there. Even a splendid idea for tourism.
A few science facts were slightly off.... The micro climate in the narrow coastal belt of the Redwoods is actually much wetter than most of Britain (Manchester UK- 33 inches annual rainfall, Orick, CA 67 inches). But even this wet zone sees a 90 day dry season, where rain is replaced by a daily thick blanket of fog. And that is the Redwood's distinct adaptation- They drink fog through their needles. Taking water in from above and below enables them to grow to incredible height.
SO, if this region of the UK gets regular fog in addition to rain, that answers why they're thriving.
Fun fact: mature coastal redwoods are too tall to pull water from their roots to their canopy. They need the fog to survive. That means that we've had fog on the northwest coast of America often enough for long enough for trees with thousand-year lifespans to evolve to depend on it.
Redwoods also had a global distribution millions of years ago. These aren't Britain's first redwoods, just the first ones in recorded history.
I was talking to a local groundskeeper for a suburban wooded pathway who was clearing some downed trees. I forget the species but he mentioned that it was an invasive and then pointed out the incredible number of dead/dying trees in the immediate area. He mentioned they were all the same invasive species, and it wasn't that they were dying prematurely, but that WHEN they die, they stay standing FOREVER because none of the local insects or other decay-advancing critters feed on them. So you get entire chunks of woodland with dead tree after dead tree that won't fall and give up it's spot, creates a hazard anytime there's wind, is a huge potential fire risk and looks awful.
I'd never really thought of TREES as invasive before. It's always fish or birds or toads or cats or such. But don't sleep on the idea that invasive trees can be a problem too.
Not a fire risk. Redwoods have tannin which is a natural fire retardant. Redwoods fossilize. How do you think there are 2,000 year old redwoods? They resist fires.
The story of trees moving from the West to Europe is interesting. I knew they had giant redwoods there but i had no idea as to how many!
These trees will add to the existing beauty of your country. I have resided in California USA for around 30 years. I am not a botany expert so please take my comments with a grain of salt. A sequoia is a close cousin to the California coast redwood. Both are magnificent. The sequoia is larger on volume than the coast redwood, whereas the coast redwood is taller than the sequoia. If redwood were planted in Britain, here are some things to consider. The California coast redwood (not sure about the sequoia) has big commercial value if the forest is managed properly. The coast redwood does not have roots that are very strong and if Britain is subject to wind, these trees will blow over and shatter which ruins the lumber value. So, for the coast redwood trees, plant them close together. Doing this will help do two things. The weak roots are compensated for by having the trees close together. Planting them close will also encourage vertical growth with very few knot forming side branches for the first 120 feet or so. Clear knot free lumber is highly sought after. Some other points, California coast redwood trees are a little odd in that much of the water they use is absorbed through the"leaves". So if there are areas in Britain with coastal fog and rain with temps that don't fall much below freezing, great. Also if there are mountain ranges stepping down to the ocean, plant the forests in the sides and ravines , avoid the ridge tops. So far, my favorite area for viewing the California coast redwood is around the little town of Weott CA. Leave the 101 and take the old 101. Cheers.
I was fortunate to have been able to travel to California about 20 years ago. I absolutely fell in love with Muir woods, which has coastal redwoods, rather than giant sequoias. To this day it is one of the most beautiful places that I have ever seen. I would love to see a woodland with both of those redwoods thriving here in the UK, especially if I am still around in the next 2,000 years. In small enough pockets I really can't see how they would be a detriment to our ecosystem. Congratulations on hitting 50k, Rob.
Epic, made a note of this location. Yeah i think if it was deliberately created in a degraded area, it could only enhance what’s there. Natives would always be best though.
There are two Redwoods in Builth Wells in Powys, Wales. They are lovely. A redwood forest may be interesting as they are thriving but could we concentrate on getting back our much needed raparian woodland in Scotland and Wales to save the Salmon and river dependant ecosystems. Plus we need our hedgrows re layed and woodland corridors regenerated.
Huge advocate for getting more trees and woodland on our rivers!
There are salmon runs in the redwood forests. Just sayin'!
I live in caithness i planted part of local golf course in thurso, grand fir, noble fir, larch, oak, hazel, rowans etc and a sequoia! (1980s)it is about 30ft tall now. (15 miles from john o groats. I am self employed gardener on a motorbike. Tree and nature lover grow my own trees, cuttings too. Sitka spruce has adapted well in scotland and if open grown live a long time (1,000 yrs in native canada) birds use them for seeds, shelter and foraging. I am planting trees in grounds of hotel where i work part time. Was spruce, larch in bits. Underplanting with oak, hazel birch, rowan etc. Doing it over last 8yrs or so.
Sitka spruce is an extremely important tree because it is used for piano soundboards. It is harder and harder to get the proper quality and quantity of sitka spruce. I hope Scotland plants a lot of them!
possibly one of the most endangered tree in the world is another California tree, the Torry pine. it literally has a less then 5 mile long 1 mile wide strip along the beach from Torry pines state park south.
There’s actually a really nice and impressive redwood forest in Cantabria in the north of Spain. They were planted in the 1940s so not quite fully grown yet by a long shot but it really is beautiful.. also a lot cheaper to get to!
in suffolk theres a redwood that was planted by a bloke who used the nearby flint mines to sell gunflints to the crown for the napoleonic war
In the 1980's I was behind a cabin in Ben Lomond, California sitting in a lawn chair surrounded by redwoods whose trunks were between three and four feet thick.
Suddenly my perception changed. I realized I was sitting on what would have been the stump of a felled tree perhaps some twenty five feet across and that what
I had thought of as trees were suckers from the stump of the original tree felled perhaps 90 years earlier.
Agreed! Rewilding a mono-culture, clear-cut forest glen into a few new pocket habitats.
Redwood planting is a statement of hope and trust in the future, and of course humility.
I always smile when people moan about the UK's rain yet expect trees to thrive on sunshine only and no moisture.
To get the green you need the grey. ❤
Yes!
I mean British people go into barren wastelands with no trees, no animals apart from sheep and think "ah lush nature"
The redwoods are definitely magnificent trees. I am also in California as one subscriber mentioned. I would highly recommend a visit to Roaring camp. It is in the Santa Cruz mountains here in northern California. The train rides are a wonderful way to experience the redwoods as the train passes thru the old groves. There is one that takes you to the beach boardwalk. You get an hour or so to enjoy till the train takes you back. I have fond memories of my visits there. Really enjoying your channel. Thank you for al you are doing for our beautiful planet.
Blessings to you & all. Liliane
Here in British Columbia, we have forests of giant and ancient western red cedars (a close relative of the redwood), and other spectacular trees and plants. But less than 1% of these forests still stand. And despite 90% of the province wanting to save these forests, and numerous blockades including the largest act of disobedience in Canadian history. The provincial government is still allowing the destruction of these forests from logging companies, and is also lying about how much is left and being cut down! It is such a shame that this is still happening , as the protesting has been going on for over 50 years. You should come see these forests for yourself, as this would help spread public awareness for we can finally protect these forests!
Like here in Washington, until the bust, a lot of it was being shipped "overseas". Money, money.....
@@dpeter6396 Yes that too, they are still being shipped overseas here. Which is causing the closure of all the local mills. At the end of the day, no one is winning from this other than the greedy logging companies and politicians.
I can see the pros of having a small pocket of Redwood as a species backup, but do redwoods really fit into the local ecosystem well enough to justify a redwood forest?
Doug Tallamy's research indicates non-natives support significantly fewer insects (due to the majority of insect species being specialists of native plants). Insects are the primary method of transfering plant biomass to higher trophic levels, and it seems redwood trees thrive because they're not integrated into local food webs. disease, insect, or otherwise.
I am a huge fan of this channel and would be very curious what your thoughts are in this respect.
Glad I'm not the only one referencing Dr. Tallamy's work!
A Redwood forest / nature preserve in Britain is a brilliant idea. Later generations would be appreciate it.
How very nice. I had no idea!! Coastal and Sequoia species are different and have opposite environments; foggy summers v hot summers.
This video is misleading, due to the fact that it's based on a news article that was incorrect (which has since been corrected, though as we can see, the damage has been done). The UK has 500,000 redwoods of all types (Giant Sequoia, Coast Redwood, and the Dawn Redwood, which is from China, not California), whereas the 80,000 number for California is just for Giant Sequoias, which are by far the most endangered of native redwoods in CA. CA has about 1.6 million acres of redwood forest (the vast majority being Coast Redwoods), and that amount of land can hold far more than 500,000 redwood trees.
Grew up in California close-ish to the redwoods and the forests are like nothing else. :)
So happy to hear they are doing well elsewhere in the world. The really big coastal redwoods traditionally got a lot of their moisture from marine fog, which unfortunately there has been less and less of in recent years in CA.
should concentrate on helping native species thrive
For sure! I’d be curious to see how UK native species responded to a redwood forest though
@@LeaveCurious that is the question!
@@LeaveCuriousredwoods, similar to other conifers, tend to block the sun and acidify the soil, having a small grove as an interest point does no harm but it isn't something we should promote to introduce in English forests
i wonder if the can even reproduce the barley do where the are native so i don't see them going against native plants
@@LeaveCurious we don't want to create a foreign landscape either way
There's a thriving redwood forest in NZ, too. I discovered it from doing research after seeing FOTR.
I don't really like that as Redwoods never occurred in NZ, unlike the case for the UK, plus there are so many cool native conifers in NZ
The northern limit of the coastal redwoods native range is right at the California-Oregon border not far south of where I live. The climate there is much like Britain -- cool and with abundant moisture. (fun fact -- Stout Grove, a redwood grove there, starred in Star Wars as the forest of the Ewoks). As global warming continues it's likely that their range will move north. They have already been planted on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State to see if they will self propagate as the climate there warms.
Its been my lifelong dream to go and visit the Redwoods in California! I was meant to go last year for my 40th but didn't have the funds! I'm hoping to go later this year but will probably end up being next year as things are just so damn expensive now. There are some in North West London that I visit sometimes. I have a video of them on my RUclips channel. I love all trees but being in the presence of such giants is magical
Didn't you do this last week? Got a Cali Coast Redwood in the front garden, it's thriving and making a mess of the pipework. Think the Cali Coast version is actually taller than the giant although nowhere as massive.
Do what last week? Bold tree to have in your front garden!
I think they mean, isn’t this a repost? Certainly I’ve watched a very similar video recently, although I can’t remember where!
@@LeaveCurious MY bad, I saw similar on Sky News.
There are some down in Spain too, it's odd how we planted them for wood for such a long term that it is no longer worth it and it's turned into a small redwood forest, the more humid climate if northern Spain might help, however I truly believe more that the fire, the drought and all that and it's logging, which is to say deliberate destruction which can be easily avoidable what will destroy our most massive humbling forests
Please note two species of CA redwoods. One is tall and stout, other is taller (300ft_) which one do you have, and which one are you going to see? They are different
I would love to see them as windbreakers around Ireland. They would stabilise the climate of the island and allow re-growing of native oak woods. But so far Irish are only able to plant pines half a meter apart and then fall them all at once devastating what is left of the humus level of the ground.
The biggest sequoia I've seen is probably either the ones growing in Hothfield common or the one growing in howletts zoo!
The specimens in Hothfield common are within a new growth forest!
Oh awesome! Yeah out of the half a million I wonder what’s the biggest!
@LeaveCurious if your down in Kent, give me a holler and I can show you a few good orchid patches :)
Really angers me how this channel doesn’t have more subscribers, after the first video I watched I really did leave curious 😂
Haha it’s building!
We can all play a part there and make sure we pass a link to someone we know a few times a year. Same goes for Mossy Earth too.
Dude, I joined when there was only a few hundred subscribers. It has been SUCH FUN to see the growth!
lmao grow up
angered?
Absolutely love your videos and as a native Californian it’s amazing to see our beautiful redwoods thriving elsewhere. Not all nonnative species are invasive. Another example that would be cool for you to showcase in a future video, while your in California would be the thriving parrot communities in Southern California!
I grew up in California and spent many family summer holidays at Sequoia National Park. But at 55, I was assigned by my company to a project in a southern suburb of London. One day I went for a walk in a nearby cemetery and did a double take at a well developed Sequoia! I discovered three more redwoods of various species in that suburb alone. Over the next several years I found Sequoias and redwoods all over Britain, from Carrbridge in Scotland to Wales to Chichester. There is a large redwood/Sequoia forest in Brookwood Cemetery near Farnborough that I think already qualifies as a UK Sequoia forest, as there are probably mor3 than one hundred such trees there. It is a magnificent place. We used to enjoy the challenge of trying to discover Sequoias at various tourist locations, such as Blenheim Palace, or around Lake Windermere, or near Shere in Surrey. Magnificent, beautiful trees!
The Coastal Redwoods are Sequoia semperviren. The Giant Redwoods like General Sherman are Sequoiadendron giganteum.
I live in under and amongst the Sequoia sempervirens. How do I feel about a redwood forest planted in Britain? I am thrilled! They are beautiful trees, and anywhere in the world they will grow, they will enhance the human spirit.
Thank you for making and posting this video.
big redwood forest in the highlands wood be cool
There’s many empty hills where it might work, but I don’t know if I’d rather see Scot’s pines there 🤷♂️
We have many on campus where I work. I agree on the carbon capture point. Also they are home to many micro habitats for invertebrates. I have seen tree creepers in our trees. I don't think they should supersede the priority of native species. But they do have their place from a conservation point of view.
Unlike rhododendron or laurel which are endemic frankly
Others are right. This channel is under subscribed and under appreciated. I'm grateful for your efforts. Thank you.
The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) are very distinct, they should not be confused. Perhaps planting some Coast Redwoods around your Giant Sequoia's would make your forest in Britain even more amazing. The coast redwood is a faster growing tree that is thriving in California... yes, climate change is helping, as they eat carbon and drink water from the air.
Redwoods where native in more than California in prehistoric times they grew on other continents to.
Have any cones from England produced seedlings?
"invasive species with no natural competition on new continent does surprisingly well"
I think the argument is that without fire the cones don't open, so they can't reproduce, hence they can't be invasive in the UK, even if they're non native.
But yeah, agreed, I can think of better things to do than encouraging planting of exotic trees..
As a gardener, I have seen a fair few of these trees, some 100 feet or so tall... pretty awesome that these are relatively small in the grand scheme of things!
Well done. I traveled from Australia to California and saw the Redwoods. Unforgettable. The world's second tallest tree is Centurion - a Mountain Ash located in Tasmania.
It's third tallest living tree known at best. And since the list I was looking at listed only the single tallest example of each species it's possible there are multiple examples of the other two species that are taller which would bump it down the list.
Non natives - I think aggressive ones that rapidly establish, take over and diminish biodiversity, Japanese Knotweed, should be strictly controlled.
You’re pretty much wrong about england being wetter. The parts red woods grow in California is gets crazy amounts of precipitation during the winter.