The Resilient Redwoods

I am so fascinated with trees.  I have photographed trees from different countries and each time I review the photos they amaze me more.  Trees balance the climate by providing shade thus cooling the area where they are.  Their roots hold the ground which prevent erosion.  They also help in preventing flood.   But one of the things that makes me respect the trees is their ability to produce oxygen which is the most essential element that human beings need for survival.  Without oxygen, we will all perish.

Nov 1, 2019.  We visited Muir Woods National Monument in Mt Tamalpais in Marin County, California. It is the home of the remaining giant redwoods and sequoia trees in San Francisco Bay Area.  I read that trees that are thousand years of age are still in existence in this place. These trees can grow up to 380ft.  Another information about these trees are staggering.  These trees came from a very tiny pine cone with seeds that are as small as the chili flakes. 

I picked up the tiny redwood pine cones when we visited Muir.

Not all the seeds survived.  Some fell on the pile of dirt and dried up.  Others fell on the ground, got buried there and waited until sun reached them and moist from the surrounding hydrated them. Then they slowly sprout into a  tiny plant.

A tiny redwood tree that sprung from minuscule seed.

After hundreds and thousands of years and surviving all different calamities - natural and man-made - this chili-flake-sized seeds from the pine cone would grow into giant trees like the photo below.  The photo below shows a cavity at the trunk of the tree.  When I came inside to inspect, there is a black lining which I assume is caused by fire.  This tree might have experienced  a bush fire.  The part that was burnt must have been carried away by the water when the area got flooded in the past and created an opening- a cavity.

One of the oldest and biggest trees that I found is accessible to visitors.

They would grow very big and very tall.  We were on top of the trail, literally on top of the mountain and we saw the tree tops even towering the mountain.  They seem to try to reach the skies and follow the rays of the sun.

From the ground, I could not see the top of the trees.  Only when I was on top of the mountain did I see the tree top.  The trees are almost as high as the mountain.

There is also one astonishing fact about these trees.  Even though they experienced fire, wind, drought, flood, snow, earthquakes, fungi, preying insects, imbalance and distractions (logging) created by men they still survived.  They cloned themselves from the  deadwood.  Because they are giant trees, their roots are deeply buried in the ground to support their weight and height. These roots expanded their selves and grow off springs surrounding the deadwood.

The original tree in the middle suffered all the calamities and died but the roots are still alive.  The tall trees surrounding the deadwood grew from its roots and just spread out.

After over four hours of hiking one of the trails, I was thinking deeply about how these trees survived.  Imagining their humble beginning, coming from the tiniest seeds.  They struggled and fought for their survival. Much like human beings. We all are born with nothing.  All of us, one way or another faced difficulties.  Some are persistent and braved everything to survive.  Others worked hard, sacrificed themselves and left legacies through their off-springs.  Others are pound to the ground, bullied, humiliated, abandoned.   Some perished, while some held deeply and drew strength from God.  And with their strong faith, God blessed them by raising them up from mortification.