Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Coast redwoods show signs of vigorous regrowth after the 1999 Kirk Complex Fires in the
narrow ravines of Hare Creek Canyon.
Redwood Forests
California is blessed with Earth's largest, oldest, and tallest living organisms. The
largest tree in volume, the giant sequoia (
Sequoiadendron giganteum
), lords over the
western slopes of the Sierra Nevada. The world's oldest tree, the bristlecone pine
(
Pinus aristata
), perches along the flanks of the White Mountains. The tallest liv-
ing organism, the coast redwood (
Sequoia sempervirens
), grows along the California
coast, making its southern home in the Santa Lucia Range.
Redwood forests form a narrow belt along the coast from central California to
southern Oregon. They are prized for their longevity (1000 years or more) and height
(stretching some 250 to 300 feet above the forest floor). The tallest trees and healthiest
groves rise farther north at Redwood National Park. Big Sur represents the redwood's
southern stronghold, which peters out near Salmon Creek in southern Big Sur, close
to the coastal California fog belt. As redwoods approach their southern limit, the trees
are noticeably diminished in size.
In its warmer, drier southern range, this moisture-loving species is restricted to
cool, damp valleys, canyons, ravines, and gullies. The fossil record proves that 50
