138 FOREST TREES OF THE PACIFIC SLOPE. 



SEQUOIA. REDWOODS. 



The trees composing the Sequoia group are of ancient origin. Remains of at 

 least two sequoias, from which our species descended, have been found in the 

 Cretaceous and Tertiary periods, during which time they lived in the Arctic- 

 Zone. Our representatives of the genus are now singularly isolated and are 

 found almost entirely in the coast mountains and Sierras of California, far from 

 their nearest relative on this continent — the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) 

 of the Southern States. They are the tallest and most massive of our forest 

 trees. Indeed, one of them is easily the largest conifer in the world, widely and 

 justly honored as the most, remarkable of trees. Unlike many of our other 

 cone-bearers, their distinguishing features remain unvarying. 



On account of the restricted range of the Sierra species especially, much con- 

 cern has been expressed regarding the probable extinction of these trees. Great 

 and seemingly needless destruction has been wrought by fire and ax in these for- 

 ests of incomparable grandeur. While it would be a calamity to permit the 

 total destruction for commercial purposes of trees which number their age by 

 thousands of years, fear need not be felt that these trees are in danger of actual 

 extermination for want of natural reproduction. With protection against fires 

 they perpetuate themselves indefinitely, notwithstanding the popular belief that 

 at least the Sierra sequoia is not reproducing itself. Some of these magnificent 

 forests should be preserved untouched as monuments of American respect and 

 love for nature's noblest legacy. The scientific and educational value of pre- 

 serving them is unquestioned. The destruction, for whatever end, of all of the 

 great trees which it has taken thousands of years to produce could never be 

 justified in later years. 



Sequoias are evergreen trees. The leaves are narrow and lance-shaped. 

 pointed, and arranged alternately opposite and spreading in two lines from 

 opposite sides of the branches (fig. 57). or they are scale-like, sharp-pointed, 

 and closely overlapping each other on the branches (fig. 56). Leaves of this 

 type are longer, the points spreading on young shoots (fig. 55) and young trees, 

 forming sprays somewhat similar to those of cedars. The leaves of each sea- 

 son's growth remain on the branches for three or four years. Flowers of two 

 sexes, male and female, are borne each on different branches of the same tree. 

 Both are minute or small, rather inconspicuous, scaly bodies at the ends of 

 branchlets formed the previous year, and opening very late in winter or in early 

 spring. The cones are egg-shaped bodies composed of closely packed, woody, 

 persistent, thick scales, and are from about an inch to 3 J inches long (figs. 56, 

 57). They ripen in one and two seasons, remaining on the trees after opening 

 (late in autumn) and shedding their seeds. Five to seven seeds, minute, brown, 

 stiff, wing-margined flat bodies, are borne closely packed beneath each scale. The 

 seeds can not be wafted more than a short distance by the wind. Squirrels 

 cut down and bury thousands of the seed-laden cones, from which, under favor- 

 able conditions of light — an opening in the forest — many seedlings spring up. 

 Seed-leaves, 4 to 6. The bark of old trees is enormously thick, red-brown, soft. 

 and separable in very thin flakes. 



The purplish, red-brown wood of the sequoias is light, very soft, straight- 

 grained, and, except that formed during the first one or two centuries, fine- 

 grained, often exceedingly so. It is remarkably durable under all kinds of 

 exposure, lasting for very many years without apparent sign of decay. Its 

 great durability and straight grain and the ease with which it can be split and 

 otherwise worked have long made it desirable for many commercial purposes. 

 Its huge, long, clear trunks yield saw-timber so large that it often requires to 



