Meet an 80,000-Year-Old Tree
onDo you think a 2,000 year old redwood is ancient? A giant sequoia weighing 2,000 tons is heavy? What if I were to tell you that these weren’t even close to the oldest or the biggest? Sure, bristlecone pines live …
Ferns in the Redwood Canopy
onIn last week’s blog, I described my climb into a large double redwood to help Steve Sillett and his team make measurements for our Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative. While up in this tree, I was suspended alongside enormous fern …
Finding Patterns in the Redwoods: It’s Easy as 1, 1, 2, 3…
onNature’s patterns are everywhere. Sometimes they’re obvious – we mammals, for instance, almost always have five fingers and five toes on each hand and foot. Sometimes these patterns aren’t nearly so apparent, but they’re still there nonetheless. The Fibonacci sequence …
Bay Lights – 1.5 Redwoods Tall
onOutside our office this week the San Francisco Bay Bridge began twinkling with the artistic illumination of 25,000 new LED lights strung along the west span. After dusk, views of the bridge are spectacular as waves of light pulse along 1.8 …
Exploring the Mysteries of Redwood Burls
onWe’ve all seen them—those enormous growths from the trunks or bases of redwood trees, sometimes covered in new sprouts, sometimes appearing to drip down the side of the tree like the molten remnants of a lost limb. These strange formations …
Do salamanders bark in the woods?
onEvery time I talk to a researcher who works in the redwood region, I learn something that makes my jaw drop. It happened again just a few days ago when I was speaking with Prof. David Wake of U.C. Berkeley. …
Can redwoods thrive in Southern California climate?
onRedwoods do fine in Southern California, right? Researchers at UC Irvine are not totally convinced. In the 1980’s a scientist by the name of Ernest Ball cloned coast redwood giants from Northern California and reared test-tube redwoods. Many of these …
The Oldest Redwood I’ve Ever Seen
onI just returned from a New Year’s trip through Yellowstone National Park, where I hiked out to see one of the petrified redwoods still standing on the forest slopes of Wyoming. This ancient redwood has been through an amazing transformation—its …
Life on the Forest’s Edge
onIt takes a long time to get to Hendy Woods State Park from San Francisco. It takes a while to get there from pretty much anywhere, but it’s worth it. Approaching the park through the Anderson Valley wine country, the …
Why are Christmas trees pointy on top?
onWhy are Christmas trees shaped the way they are, pointy on top and wide at the bottom? It’s because their growth is regulated by hormones. One such hormone (called auxin) is produced at the growing tip of the treetop and …
Cap-and-trade among the redwoods
onThis was a big month in California. While the election may be the first thing that comes to mind, we also witnessed the first auction of carbon credits to companies that emit more than 25,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide every …
Feasting in the Redwood Forest
onNo doubt, we have all experienced the joy of showing up to a thoughtfully prepared Thanksgiving feast with family and friends. Surrounded by overflowing dishes of food, it is nearly impossible to go to bed hungry following a Thanksgiving meal. …
Cross-section of a redwood tree?
onSince I was a little girl, I’ve enjoyed standing next to the large cross-section of redwood trunk on display at the entrance of Muir Woods National Monument. It boggles my mind that this redwood started growing in the year 909 …
Slug Truth is Stranger than Fiction
onDid you know that the coast redwood forest is home to the largest slug in North America and the second largest slug worldwide*? Yep, our very own banana slug (Ariolimax columbianus) grows up to 8 inches in length and can …
They call it “forest killer”
onI just returned from a vacation in Nepal, a beautiful country boasting the tallest mountains in the world. For two weeks I trekked through the mountains, seeing stark snowscapes and yak-covered slopes in the northern high Himalayas and the lush …
Brown to Blue: The Eel River’s Dramatic Changes in Hue
onWhen the South Fork Eel River in Mendocino County turns blue during the winter, it is impossible not to wonder why the river changes color so much over the course of the year. With first fall rains, autumn leaves falling …
There’s More Than Meets the Eye to Forest Fungi
onDid you know that winter rains cause fungi to reproduce in the redwood forest? Mushrooms are the most visible parts of the fungal body and grow up out of the soil so that the wind will disperse their spores. When …
True colors are showing
onAs summer rolls on every year, people always ask me with concern about why their redwoods have orange foliage. Is it a sign of drought? Is the redwood sick? Luckily for the redwoods, the answer to these questions is quite …
Bear Breakfast No Picnic for Redwoods
onIf you go out in the woods today You’re sure of a big surprise. If you go out in the woods today You’d better go in disguise For every bear that ever there was Will gather there for certain, because …
Giant Sequoia Snags
onA giant sequoia can grow for more than 2,000 years and in that time easily earn its reputation for being one of the most massive trees on Earth. While the giant sequoia’s sheer size is certainly amazing enough, these giants …
