A Description of the California Redwoods

California's redwoods regularly reach 600 years of age.

The National Park Service, or NPS, notes on its website that California's coast redwood ecosystem boasts some of the planet's "most majestic forests." These forests are home to a variety of plant and animal life.

Features

California's redwoods can live for up to 2,000 years, and reach 600 years regularly, notes the NPS. It is a mystery why the redwoods are able to grow so tall and for so long. Redwoods are naturally resistant to insects. Fires are generally not a threat, due to the trees' thick bark and foliage that is high above the ground where it cannot be burned.

Function

California's redwood forests are home to numerous animals, including salamanders, owls, bats and foxes. In addition to the redwood trees, the forests sustain a variety of plants, including beach strawberry and sand verbena plants. Besides the redwoods, trees such as big-leaf maples and Sitka spruce can be found.

Considerations

In order to protect the redwood ecosystem, restoration projects are completed in the park. These include clearing old logging debris in order to re-establish plant and tree growth, as well as managing the forest by performing controlled burns in order to clear old growth and control or eliminate exotic plant species that are foreign to the redwood forest.

References

• National Park Service: Redwood: About the Trees
• National Park Service: Redwood: Nature and Science
• National Park Service: Redwood: Environmental Factors