They’ll grow anything here
Giant redwood trees were imported into the UK in the 1850s. They became a status symbol and were often planted at the gates of great parks, cemeteries and estates. As a result, there are half a million giant sequoia growing Britain today. There are 80,000 in California.
Many of Britain’s trees are known specimens – they know when and where they were planted. Knowing the growth rate, they’ve been able to determine the trees do just fine in the English climate.
And they’re still planting ’em. Greenies love them because they suck up so much CO2. At 150, though, none of them have yet reached ‘giant’ status – not like the ones we saw in those old postcards from the Fifties, anyway.
We have to go out tonight, so I’ll leave you with that happy tree-hugging thought.
Posted: April 11th, 2024 under britain.
Comments: 7
Comments
Comment from Angus McThag
Time: April 11, 2024, 9:30 pm
Half a million trees and there’s still a problem?
Damn lazy Californian emigrants.
Comment from Durnedyankee
Time: April 11, 2024, 10:24 pm
I managed to kill the couple seeds I gathered from a downed one in Yosemite.
On Sept 11…
Talk about a surreal trip to Yosemite.
I don’t think North Texas is meant for redwoods.
Comment from Anonymous
Time: April 11, 2024, 11:54 pm
One of my dreams is to have something I was responsible for last some several hundreds of years. A giant redwood that I had planted would be the best memorial I can think of…
Comment from Anonymous
Time: April 11, 2024, 11:56 pm
Hey! Have Uncle Badger get a Redwood for you and plant it close to your house… and tend it for you! Now THAT would be a cool birthday gift and you would see it every day!
Comment from Durnedyankee
Time: April 12, 2024, 1:11 am
Oh! Redwood notion seconded!
Comment from Uncle Al
Time: April 12, 2024, 9:07 am
They may not ever reach “giant” status unless the local climate includes lots of fog. Osmosis and capillarity will raise water absorbed by roots only so high, and so sequoias and redwoods are adapted to absorb moisture from fog and dew to reach those high altitudes.
Comment from Allen
Time: April 15, 2024, 7:48 pm
We have a bunch of them up by my place in mountains. The grove closest to me was burned pretty badly in one wildfire. 90% of all wildfires are started by humans. As it turns out a lot of the humans up there are Mexican drug gang types.
Illegal Immigrants, burning the Sequoias you don’t want burned.
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