How Tall Is a Redwood Tree?

Redwood trees are the tallest plants on Earth.

Redwood trees are the tallest plants on the planet. There are three distinct tree species that are called redwoods. These are the dawn redwood from China and the coast redwood and giant Sequoia from the western United States.

Dawn Redwoods

While scientists had found many fossils of the dawn redwood, leading them to believe the species was extinct, living specimens were eventually found in a remote area of China. Now widely cultivated, many specimens of 100 feet are common.

Coast Redwoods

Coast redwoods are found along a narrow strip of land from southern Monterey County in California to the Chetco River in Oregon. These trees have a narrow and open crown and can reach a height of over 300 feet.

Giant Sequoia

Giant sequoias occur in around 70 scattered groves throughout central California. These are massive trees with heavy limbs and trunks that can reach up to 15 feet in diameter. Mature sequoia trees average from 250 to 300 feet tall.

References

• Virginia Tech Department of Forestry Resources and Conservation: Sequoia sempervirens
• Virginia Tech Department of Forestry Resources and Conservation: Sequoiadendron giganteum
• University of Connecticut: Metasequoia glyptostroboides