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Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

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Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#81

Post by russdill »

daveslash wrote: post #51

"There are an estimated half a million -->redwoods giant sequoias (arrows mine) Giant Sequoias ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) and Coast Redwoods ( Sequoia sempervirens ) are two different trees! Note: It seems that my California nomenclature uses "Redwood" to refer specifically to Coast Redwoods, whereas other regions use "Redwood" to refer to all 3 species of Sequoioideae (Coast Redwood, Giant Sequoia, and Dawn Redwoo…

Also in the LA area is a great grove of coastal redwoods: https://www.outdoorproject.com/united-states/california/redw...

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#82

Post by secondcoming »

yitchelle wrote: post #38
m-i-l wrote: post #19

There are pictures and locations of many at https://www.redwoodworld.co.uk/ . See also HN discussion of redwoodworld.co.uk at https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28047458 . (Not affiliated, but I did submit details of my local sequoias).

I noticed that redwoodworld.co.uk had saplings for sale. Very intriguing.

If you'd like more of a challenge, I bought seeds from here: https://superlativetrees.com/

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#83

Post by smcl »

treprinum wrote: post #30

Now re-forest the whole Scottish Highlands please...

This is something that's a slow and steady ongoing process - increasing from 5% to 17% cover between the years ~1900-2000 with the aim being 21% coverage by 2032[0]. I don't know what is the "right" rate of afforestation is, whether it's going too slowly or whatever, but it's not something that's completely abandoned.

[0] - https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/land-and-sea-man...

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#84

Post by bink »

api_or_ipa wrote: post #80
simonsarris wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The wood is somewhat brittle. When they felled lots of them in the US 100 years ago, the loggers found to their great disappointment little use for the resulting wood, and turned most of the giant trees into... matchsticks, and that sort of scrap thing. Possibly the trees can be harvested more delicately today, though.

Fiddlesticks. Redwoods are a fabulous building material. If you’re in the Bay Area, go check your houses joists. Quite a number of old houses here are made of redwood. AFAIK it makes a great wood for joists and structures because it it’s resistant to pests. My nearly 100 year old house’s joists are in fantastic condition. Big, beautiful beams, nearly completely clear and free from knots. The reason it’s rarely used t…

I even lived in a house with a redwood frame in Hawaii. It was great for resisting termites.

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#85

Post by daveslash »

pvaldes wrote: post #68
daveslash wrote: post #51

"There are an estimated half a million -->redwoods giant sequoias (arrows mine) Giant Sequoias ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) and Coast Redwoods ( Sequoia sempervirens ) are two different trees! Note: It seems that my California nomenclature uses "Redwood" to refer specifically to Coast Redwoods, whereas other regions use "Redwood" to refer to all 3 species of Sequoioideae (Coast Redwood, Giant Sequoia, and Dawn Redwoo…

> Coast Redwoods are of the genius "Seqoia", on the genus Sequoia

Typo on my part. Fixed. Thank you. Take my upvote.

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#86

Post by whoopdedo »

api_or_ipa wrote: post #80
simonsarris wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The wood is somewhat brittle. When they felled lots of them in the US 100 years ago, the loggers found to their great disappointment little use for the resulting wood, and turned most of the giant trees into... matchsticks, and that sort of scrap thing. Possibly the trees can be harvested more delicately today, though.

Fiddlesticks. Redwoods are a fabulous building material. If you’re in the Bay Area, go check your houses joists. Quite a number of old houses here are made of redwood. AFAIK it makes a great wood for joists and structures because it it’s resistant to pests. My nearly 100 year old house’s joists are in fantastic condition. Big, beautiful beams, nearly completely clear and free from knots. The reason it’s rarely used t…

> Fiddlesticks

After some brief research, it seems that most any wood can be used, so it's possible there were redwood bows made sometime. The preferred wood is pernambuco. (From the Brazilian paubrasilia echinata tree, now an endangered species so difficult to get new sticks from.) Other popular types are snakewood, sandalwood (cheap), and brazilwood (cheaper). But lately the trend is to use carbon fiber which has become less expensive than wooden bows of the same quality.

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#87

Post by indoordin0saur »

Related question I've always had: does anyone know why trees on the west coast of the US and Canada grow so tall? You'll find the tallest species of fir (douglas fir or if you're being pedantic the grand fir), pine (sugar pine), hemlock (western hemlock) and cedar (western red cedar) as well as the redwood species. Other places with similar climate grow tall trees but nearly so high. Is it something about the climate or are forests here just full of highly evolved specimens involved in an arms race?

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#88

Post by indoordin0saur »

plopz wrote: post #78
daveslash wrote: post #51

"There are an estimated half a million -->redwoods giant sequoias (arrows mine) Giant Sequoias ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) and Coast Redwoods ( Sequoia sempervirens ) are two different trees! Note: It seems that my California nomenclature uses "Redwood" to refer specifically to Coast Redwoods, whereas other regions use "Redwood" to refer to all 3 species of Sequoioideae (Coast Redwood, Giant Sequoia, and Dawn Redwoo…

The story of the dawn redwoods is pretty interesting. Found in the fossil record, thought to be extinct, but then in the 40s a grove was found in china and seeds shipped all over the place. Now theres a bunch of cities planting them along sidewalks including nyc. Although sadly now it seems like the grove in china is having issues.

Yeah, they're great trees on the east coast because they provide shade in the summer but drop their leaves in the winter when shaded dark streets are less desirable.

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#89

Post by indoordin0saur »

DrBazza wrote: post #8

BBC version of same article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-68518623 > An estimated 500,000 trees are in the UK compared to 80,000 in California. > To assess how these towering giants are adapting to their UK home, scientists selected a sample of nearly 5,000 trees to study at Wakehurst, Benmore Botanic Garden in Argyllshire, Scotland and Havering Country Park in Essex. > However, while the trees are…

There have to be more than 80k in the US. Maybe they're just counting mature large trees? The groves are full of saplings and "teenagers".

Re: Giant sequoias are a rapidly growing feature of the UK landscape

#90

Post by indoordin0saur »

pvaldes wrote: post #71
lenerdenator wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

me m8 dave can provide the fire so long as the old bill doesn't find out about it (lad's on magistrate's orders to not have matches)

> these seedlings will die as the duff dries in the summer Again the myth of Prometheus, "they need fire, burn, burn, burn"... Yawn. may die --On California-- UK is a little more humid. Sequoiadendron grows happy in most temperate areas, including most of Spain. Segovia has some of the tallest trees out of USA, and is a hot place on summer. We have also a few small Sequioadendron forests on the North of Spain since 1…

Side note, but the Sugi tree of Japan is perhaps the most similar tree to the Sequoia in terms of appearance.
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