Unique Ecosystems of Coastal Redwoods

Coastal Redwoods: Nature’s Giants

The ten tallest trees known on Earth all reside in the rainforests of Humboldt County, California and are Coastal Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens.) The current tallest is equivalent in height to a 35-story high-rise. This is taller than L.A.'s Buenaventura Hotel tower, the U.C. Berkeley Campanile tower, the Statue of Liberty or Big Ben.

The currently oldest known living Coastal Redwood is estimated to be 2,355 years old, sprouted in about 330 B.C.E. During the warm season, the species are capable of extracting necessary water from fog. They are found in various coastal regions of California between Monterey and near the Oregon border.

In-Tree Habitats

Unique ecosystems have been found to exist in the canopy of Coastal Redwoods high above the ground. Many forms of vegetation grow on or from the redwood trees like ferns, mosses, rhododendrons and huckleberries. The decay of vegetation may form dirt-like beds up in some parts of the trees, where the growing cycle may continue. So, they have their own forest floor up there! Many plants, even Sitka Spruce trees, may sprout and grow in redwood tree-perched gardens.

The redwoods also have their own resident animal species. Some that live their lives in Coastal Redwood trees include specific worms and salamanders. The Wandering Salamander (Aneides vagrans) is one known to live its entire life in these trees. The salamanders find the food and moisture they require to be plentiful up there. They also have been recorded to have the ability to glide and navigate through the air, despite having no webbed limbs. They have been seen to be able to tail-steer in spreadeagle fashion in descents from one tree to another, thus avoiding ground predators. When you have your own world up in the high-rises, why risk coming down to Earth? That is why they are rarely encountered by us earthlings until after their death when they might be found dead on the ground.

Wandering Salamander