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Answers
1.
How many gallons of water does a Sequoia tree transport
up its 300 foot trunk each day?
Believe it or not, 500 gallons! With this much water
being transported in a grove of Sequoia trees, you'd
think it would sound more like a bathroom than a tranquil
forest.
2. How
long have redwoods been existence?
The best evidence suggests around 10 million years! Titans
of the plant world they succeeded when the dinosaurs failed.
3. Aside
from the current on-slaught by humans, what was the previous
biggest threat to the redwood's existence?
An ice age two million years ago. It covered most of North
America and Europe driving redwoods from most of their former
range. When the glaciers receded, many of the dozen or so
related species of redwood had disappeared. Only the Coastal
redwood found along the coast of Northern California, the
Giant redwood of Central California, and the Dawn redwood
found in remote areas of China survived this ice age.
4. What
characteristics of the redwood attracted lumberjacks to cut
them down?
Redwoods resist fire, rot, and insects. They insulate well
and the wood is easy to mill and work. They are good at taking
stain or paint, and they contain beautiful wood grains.
5.
How old are the Coastal redwoods?
Adult trees can range from 500 to a maximum of 2000
years old!
6. Why
do redwoods grow in groves rather than as individuals?
Redwoods have a shallow root system that spreads out for some
distance but does not go very deep. With their incredible
height, this opens them up to being blown down by strong winds.
By growing in a grove the redwoods protect each other from
the wind.
7. Why
should you never walk close to the base of a redwood tree?
The shallow roots of a redwood are damaged by people walking
on them. This is especially true now that tens of thousands
of visitors travel to see them each year.
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