America’s Giant Redwoods are Thriving in Britain - here’s why

They are doing fine in California.

Personally, no, I am fine with individual Redwoods, or stands of Redwoods in the UK, such as is the case now, or even small groves, but if we were to re-establish forest areas in the UK to any great scale I would rather we concentrate on Native species and Native woodlands.

While you may well be right that Redwoods are not doing any ecological damage to Native woodlands, they are not as beneficial as Native forests. You spoke of Redwoods having their own ecosystems revolving around them, and that is perfectly true, but so does the English Oak. The Redwoods are not unique there, most large tree species will have associated ecosystems that rely on them. They may not be to the scale of the redwoods, but here is an important note, most of the associated ecology that revolved around the Redwood is simply not present in the UK. It's all in California. That which revolved around the Oak however? That is all here. So pound for pound a native oak forest will be far more beneficial than a Redwood forest.

That is my two cents, while I am not opposed to some Redwoods in the UK (they are magnificent trees), if we were to reforest portions of the UK again I would rather we concentrated on Native old growth forests, which are probably even worse off than redwoods in California....

If they're thriving better in the UK then we'll have massive ones in the future which will be awesome

Redwoods in their natural environment is almost spiritual. Muir Woods just outside San Francisco was my most recent experience. They way they form rings around what would have been the original fallen giant is magical. Like a chapel of trees. Magic.

Your argument is similar to what actualy happened in the UK in 1932. The great white cherry tree 'Taihaku' had gone extinct in its native Japan, however, an Englishman called Collingwood 'Cherry' Ingram (a cherry tree enthusiast) recognised that he had the Taihaku cherry tree in his garden. Cuttings were taken and transported back to Japan in a successful reintroduction.

I think if you come to California, you'll be surprised by how many redwoods there are. We used to camp in the Del Norte Coast Redwoods every year in the summer when my kids were growing up, and it was always cooler temperature, even in August, than it was inland. We saw one of the big salamanders once, when my daughter tripped and fell, and was face to face with one. She screamed, and it made some kind of sound. But they're harmless. You need to make reservations in advance to get a spot to camp there these days. And we didn't go cutting down the forest; that was over 100 years ago. It's been protected for a very long time The coastal redwood forest is about 450 miles long and 15 miles wide (*National Park Service page).

Redwoods are growing well in Taranaki ,NEW ZEALAND.See Lucys gully.

California also has the longest lived trees. The Bristlecone pine. They grow in extreme conditions at high altitude. They are very gnarly and bizarre looking.

Well redwood forest, yea I be for it so long it is managed, and the wood is used for construction. It's a beautiful wood to make furniture out off, boats and fences also, but just to preserve them no need to worry Russia been growing redwood also, BTW there are redwoods in the South of England also

Recent reports indicate that the redwoods are growing faster than before because of the general warming trend and higher CO2.

Nowhere in human history was there anything like the absolute destruction of North America, not only of the native peoples but the wildlife, the forest, everything. We today can't fully comprehend the sheer destruction that was done..

There is a fossilised giant redwood in Ireland. They are native to this part of the world. They died back down to California during the last ice age.

I never knew Britain hosted so many of this wonderful tree. May their sheltering canopies extend ever further.

Red wood forest love the idea

Great idea re Redwood forest it would be for future generations but it could be started with some great walks and some sacrificial fast growers to green it up now.

it's so annoying when they call them giant redwoods, they're called giant sequoias bruh. people get confused enough

I live in NE Oregon USA, and a farmer friend of the family has successfully planted some sequoia redwoods on his property. It's taking him multiple tries but I think he has over 20 planted with the oldest being 15 years old. He says that 150 years from now he wants people driving by wondering what crazy farmer planted those trees??? :-D

The world´s biggest tree was the "Devil´s Tower"...
From the old world...

Its usually not a good idea to import plants, trees or animals from off continent because they do not intergrate into the local ecosystems. As mentioned in the video the trees will grow better having left their natural predators, pests and diseases behind but this gives them a much greater potential to become weeds. Local animals and plants may not be adapted to live on the Redwoods in Britain. My advice is to give priority to revegetating with lacal species and use exotics only on land where noting else will grow.

Two words for planting non-natives ANYWHERE other than where they are native: UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES! These trees are thousands of years old and in all that time, in all the WORLD, ONLY grew in small areas of the western U.S. why? We really don't know. There are theories and such. But we really don't know. You can walk through woods here, and nothing and then all of a sudden, there they are. Yes, most were cut down, but because they're so resilient, they don't decay that fast and even if you cut down one, the stump will be there for hundreds of years. In human arrogance, we don't know what we don't know. That especially applies to trees like this that were around before the birth of Christ and maybe even longer. We know a lot about other tress, because they don't live as long and true science has been around them long enough to study their entire life cycles. Not so for Redwoods and Sequoia. BTW while related, these are two very different trees.
One is taller and thinner (also, more spread out in where to find them) and the other is thicker and somewhat shorter, but has more mass (like the General Sherman).

This is awesome! I had no idea that so many had been planted in the UK. I live on the Oregon coast a few hours North of California's coastal redwoods., and just returned yesterday from a visit there. There are a few individual trees near where I live but no groves. I fear California's Redwoods may be doomed in the long-term due to climate change, and am happy to see them thriving across the pond.

Let’s help get you there.. I wood donate 💚🌲

I’ve seen red woods in NZ too

Would recommend anyone visiting the 1000 year old New Forest in the UK to go to the Blackwater Arboretum and do the Tall Trees walk. These trees were also planted over 150 years ago and are quite magnificent. They have Redwoods, Douglas Firs & Giant Sequoia. It’s free and if you manage to go when it’s quiet you will see a lot of the local wildlife as well.

Are you talking about the Giant Sequoia Redwoods or the Coastal Redwoods? Redwoods love growing not too far from the coast in California, where it tends to be foggy in the mornings, not hot. Redwoods roots tend to be shallow; they interlock their roots with each other under the surface. When you come to California, you'll see the beautiful ecosystem of a Redwood forest with redwood sorrel, trillium, and so many other plants and birds that depend upon them.

the bad boys get so big that the ones in the uk havent reched sexual maturity yet and have yet to self seed aparently

What Britain is doing with Redwoods is admirable! A small victory on Earth with humanity wiping out almost everything that can be exploited in some fashion.

You must go. A native old growth redwood forest is a magical experience of sights, smells, and time. Walking among living trees that have lived well over 3 generations of your forefathers and (hopefully yourself) is a humbling experience.

There are also a few Giant Sequoia trees along the Lake Michigan coast in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan:

What do you think of our rhododendron forests?

Oops, in volume it's the giant sequoia, another species in the sequoia genus, General Sheman is a sequoia

Redwoods are not a species that will become invasive, so there's really no problem with them being non-native.

That said, if you let them grow in a large dense stand for 500+ years, they will utterly, completely, and totally change the eco system and quite likely affect the local climate, so make sure your descendants in 15 generations know not to let them get out of control.

I am super happy to see them growing out there! I've done hundreds of day hikes though the redwoods, and it's nice to know these beautiful trees are surviving and appreciated in another part of the world.

humm i live north of calif in salem a little town in oregon and i have a 30 year old redwood in my back yard and i can see dozens of mature redwoods all around me on the skyline in fact i bet there are at least 500 100 year old redwoods within just the city limits of salem oor very close to it its a very popular tree in the vally here ..

I think it's awesome that redwoods are thriving in Britain, and that you are bring this fact to people's attention, but...

You completely fail to distinguish between Sequoiadendron giganteum (Girant Redwood) and Sequoia sempervirens (Coast Redwood). Virtually all of what say in the video is only valid giganteum. Sempervirens while drastically reduced from it's pre-columbian numbers is making a comeback. Also, the trees in England will likely never reach the height of the California Sempervirens, as unless they are in deep canyons or in dense groves, the wind blows them over once they reach a certain height.

There are a hundred miles of California Redwoods. They are fantastic. Three, and four-leaf clover grows on the ground. Having a grove in Briton is a great idea. Find a foggy coastal valley with no wind, no fire, and plant a thousand. Wales! Put in some fir and Cedar as well, and genetic diversity in the seedlings. If you drive south from Oregon to San Diego, but not along the coast, one road in, you can see a lot of Redwoods!

I love the Redwoods. He said there are only 80,000 redwoods in California. There are almost 120,000 acres of old growth redwoods in California. There are about 80 trees per acre. And many more new growth redwoods in California like the ones in Britain. Obviously Britain doesn't have 6 times more then California

There are two species of redwoods in the USA - Sequoia sempervirens (coast redwoods) and Sequoiadendron giganteum (giant sequoia). The former grows along the coast, while the latter grows in isolated groves in the Sierra Nevada mountains. The latter is far more endangered. It’s not clear from this video which species you have in the UK.

There’s redwood groves in new zealand as well

Britain has an ideal climate for them and red cedar.

There's a stand of perhaps 20 Redwoods in a wood near me in Essex surrounded by acres of hazel & birch - they actually appear at complete odds with their neighbours yet always give a rush of pleasure when I enter their midst! My channel has countless videos of our local woodlands inc Broaks Wood where these Redwoods reside 👍😊
You mention Havering - is that in Essex?

Several reply comments below regarding the two varieties, coastal needing foggy ecosystems to grow and the mountain needing snowy conditions in winter.

In South Wales, UK there are quite a few. Even got two in my village that must have been there since late Victorian period, as they are huge. Great trees.

The General Sherman is a Sequoia tree. The Redwood tree is a different species of tree.

Thirty years ago I've attended Humboldt State University in Eureka (Arcata) that's in the midst of the Redwood growth. Standing next to one of those majestic trees you realize how a little mouse feels standing right next to you. I drove my HONDA through the cutouts of 2 Redwood trees there. You kind of lose the sense of reality for a moment.
p.s. I think you need a seedling to replant Redwood, but I could be wrong?!

these are still being logged in us and canada! please help spread awareness

You have two different species. The coastal redwoods are the tallest. The giant Sequoia is the biggest by volume

I’m sure you will when you post the video from California, but you have to tell the story of the Buffalo soldiers and the giant sequoias