Redwood National Park National Park Service Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park U.S
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Redwood National Park National Park Service Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park U.S. Department of the Interior Redwood Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park Department of Parks and Recreation California State of California Redwood forest ALL PHOTOS NPS EXCEPT AS NOTED Split Rock along the Coastal Trail Rough-skinned newt Bald Hills prairie and oak woodlands World’s tallest living tree—monarch of the Menzies first noted the coast redwood for Three California redwoods state parks boundary encircled the three state parks to state and national park uniforms anywhere for future generations. Help us safeguard North Coast—living link to the Age of Dino western science in 1794. Its scientific name, resulted: Prai rie Creek (1923), Del Norte better protect superlative ancient redwood in the parks, working for the same mission. this special place by treating it with care saurs. Redwoods grow from seeds the size Sequoia sempervirens (ever living), proba (1925), and Jede diah Smith (1929). To pre fo rests. In 1994 the National Park Service The parks’ designation as a World Heritage and respect. of a tomato seed yet can weigh 500 tons bly honors Cherokee leader Se quoy ah. In serve the trees’ natural Coast Range setting and California Department of Parks and Site and part of the California Coast Ranges and stand tal ler than the Statue of Liberty. 1918 paleontologists wanting to save this and associated plants and animals, Red Recreation began managing the parklands Bio sphere Reserve reflects their worldwide Its footthick bark makes the tree all but living link to our evolutionary past cam wood National Park was created in 1968 cooperatively, aiming to manage the parks recognition as irreplaceable treasures. Here, impervious to fire and insects. Archibald paigned nationally to protect the trees. and expanded in 1978. The na tional park the same. That’s why you see rangers in the diversity of life is protected for you and From Exploration to Preservation In 1800 redwood forests probably covered Mining and Logging The Coast Redwood Coast redwoods can Coast Coast redwoods grow in a narrow From Seed and Sprout re leased from mature California’s northern Coast redwoods tower live to about 2,000 Redwood strip along the Pacific Coast of Cali Redwood-like trees cones that ripen in Au- two million acres. As mid1800s gold fever range fornia and southwestern Oregon. coast was largely ig- over all other trees in years old; they average C grew over much of the gust and September. If subsided here, redwood fever replaced it. nored by non-Indians the world. Trees over 500 to 700 years old. Giant se quoias grow only on the North ern Hemisphere a redwood is felled or is Seeming endless at first, the trees soon fell until gold was discov- 370 feet tall have been They have no known A Sierra Ne vada’s western slope. in the Age of Dino- badly burned, a ring of to determined logging. The State of Cali ered on Gold Bluffs recorded across the re- killing diseases and do L saurs. Later climate new trees often sprouts fornia preserved some key groves in the Beach in 1850. Min ing gion. Red wood forests not suffer significant I change reduced red- from burls around the pro fits were marginal. develop the world’s insect damage. F Giant wood habitat to this trunk’s base. These so- 1920s. Congress created Redwood National Sequoia Revived during the Civil greatest re por ted vol- O narrow, fog-bound called ”family groups” Park in 1968 to protect the world’s tallest range War, the mines closed at ume of living matter Merely to stand in a R coastal corridor. (See are common. Saplings trees and Redwood Creek’s salmon fishery. the war’s end. Various per unit of land sur- redwood grove inspires N “The Role of Fog” at use the parent tree’s methods were tried lat- face. Giant sequoias many visitors to cham- I lower right.) root system. A The 1978 park expansion provided a buffer er, but operations ceased grow to larger diame- pion these trees’ pres- by 1920. A few remains ters and bulk but do ervation. Coast redwoods repro- Redwoods have no tap- zone between the park and logging up of mining op erations not grow as tall. duce by seed and by root; their roots pene- stream on private lands and a watershed still exist on Gold Bluffs stump and basal sprout- trate only 10 to 13 feet Beach. ing. Seeds slightly big- deep but spread out 60 restoration program to remove logging Moving logs with steam roads and rehabilitate thousands of acres ger than a pinhead are to 80 feet. power ushered in the in Logging began in red- of cutover land. Redwood National and dustrial logging era. NPS wood country in 1851. State Parks protect nearly 40,000 acres of At first small logs were Bark ancient forest, almost half of all that remain. floated to small mills or dragged by oxen on skid Cambium layer roads. Railroads were Sapwood Jedediah Strong Smith used in the 1870s, then Lac king good deep har- the steam donkey in Coast Redwood Facts Giant Sequoia Facts Heartwood bors, the redwood 1882 and bull donkey Height: To nearly 380 ft. Height: To 311 ft. Burl with sprout coast drew little atten- (above left) 10 years lat- Age: To 2,000 years Age: To 3,200 years Annual ring tion until fur trapper er. Bulldozers were used Bark: To 12 in. thick Bark: To 31 in. thick Jed Smith arrived over- by the 1920s, trucks by Base: To 22 ft. diam. Base: To 40 ft. diameter TREE ILLUSTRATIONS land in 1828. Smith the 1940s. Redwood NPS / JOHN DAWSON sought a better route lumber built some of Reproduce: By seed or Reproduce: By seed only between the Rock ies San Francisco’s great sprout Seed size: Like an oat flake and Pacific. Gold miners Gold mining began after Victorian homes. Seed size: Like a tomato Cone size: Like a chicken opened this area to set- 1848 strikes on the Trin seed egg tlement in the 1850s. ity River. Cone size: Like a large KANSAS STATE HISTORICAL SOCIETY ILLUSTRATION NPS A backdrop of redwoods dwarfs hikers. olive Mature seed Germinating Sheds seed coat By one week Treasures of Nature and Culture Indians of the Redwood Coast From sea level to 3,200 feet in elevation in Prairies and Waterways spots. There you may Watershed Protection favor return of natural the Coast Range, a mild, moist climate as Prairies and rivers re- see the goldfinch, junco, Congress expanded the vegetation. Congress flect the changing of quail, or raven. national park in 1978 also created a 30,000- sures the parks an abundant diversity of seasons far better than and directed the Na- acre protection zone up- wildlife. Elu sive to visitors, many mam redwood groves do. The parks’ rivers are tional Park Service to stream from the park in mals, birds, am phibians, and insects live in world-renowned for rehabilitate logged- Redwood Creek’s water- the ma ture redwood forest. They depend In springtime, prairie fishing and loved for over lands. Bulldozers shed. This limits effects wildflowers burst with recreation and their recontoured hillsides of the timber harvesting on it for food and for shelter. Prairies form color that gives way in sheer beauty. The Smith and stream channels to there on the park down- natural islands of grasslands, where wild the dry summer to the River, named for Jede- restore conditions that stream. life abounds. grasslands’ amber glow. diah Smith, arises in the Prairies are the realm of Siskiyou Mountains and Roosevelt elk favor prai raptors, the predatory then flows through the rie and other open lands red-tailed hawk, kestrel, parks’ northern section. but seek forests for cov and great horned owl, It is now California’s er and shade. The parks’ and their prey of go ph- last major free-flowing largest land mammals, ers and meadow mice. river and is famous for elk may exceed 1,000 salmon and steelhead. Park streams offer swimming and floating. Steel pounds. Mountain lions, bobcats, head, cutthroat trout (the speckled fish pictured coyotes, foxes, elk, and The Kla math River, also center below), and Chinook salmon (center below) Much bigger ant lers black-tailed deer fre- a salmon and steelhead inhabit these streams. American Indians have and berries. American distinguish them from quent prairies kept free stream, crosses the mid- lived along the redwood Indians today live on and blacktailed deer. Good of trees by prescribed section of the parks. coast for thousands of off reservation lands and places to see Roose velt fire and grazing elk. years. Belonging to sev- represent five to 10 per- elk are Elk Prai rie camp Redwood Creek flows eral different groups, cent of the local popula- ground and Gold Bluffs Acorn- bearing Oregon through the parks’ they speak different lan- tion. Groups are repre- Beach. Look for them white oaks edge prairies southern part. Salmon NPS / DAN FEASER guages, despite living sented by sovereign along the Bald Hills and at the higher elevations. and steelhead popula- in a relatively small area. governments and many Davison roads, too. Be Oaks provided protein- tions were severely Before non-Indian peo- traditions continue. alert for elk crossing rich food for Indians, diminished by past log- ple arrived in the 1850s, highways. who cleared the under- ging in the Redwood story with fire. Prairies Creek watershed. Indian villages, with Some members still speak make good birding their split-plank struc- the languages.