141 



■ ill ion pounds. They were found across North American and Euro-Asia. There 

 are fossil renains in England and Yellowstone. Chances in climate have shrunk 

 their range to a few hundred thousand acres in the California Sierras. 



In a paleobotanical sense the Giant Sequoia may persist another 500,000 

 vears if we leave the sites they occupy relatively undisturbed. Dr. William 

 Harlow, the noted dendrolog i st . pointed out 50 years ago that this tree, 

 which is a single species, "mav be thought of as making its last stand in 

 scattered groves along the middle western slopes of the Sierra. How many more 

 tens of centuries the bigtree might maintain itself is problematic ". 



The Sequoia have special characteristics that have helped them survive, 

 and there are others that represent genuine threats to their survival. 



On the 'plus side neither insect nor disease afflict the Sequoia, even in 

 old age. Their bark acts as an. insulation against ground fire. Lightning 

 strikes only individuals at random. Their cones take as much as 20 years to 

 mature. They contain a powdery red pigment that is released with the seeds 

 and aids germination. Their seeds a very small, three thousand seeds equal 

 one ounce. However, the germination rate is very low (15X). Seedling develop 

 a taproot, followed by wide spread lateral roots which act as an anchor. The 

 wood is durable. Trees over 1,000 years are lOOX sound when cut. However, the 

 wood is very brittle, and breakage in felling is high. Their use for lumber 

 and wood products is small. Until the advent of chainsaws, hand felling these 

 trees was a major challenge, a factor that also reduced their logging. 



On the down side. Sequoia have an extensive FRAGILE system of fibrous 

 lateral roots near the surface. Trees are subject to prematv4re death when 

 this fragile root system is disturbed because the anchorage of the tree is 

 weakened as the tree is also slowly killed. Sequoia grow in association with 

 Red and White Firs, Incense Cedars, and Pines, which help provide a 

 protective environment- Man. whether seeking to cut other species near these 

 trees, or seeking to "improve" the Sequoia are the greatest threat to their 

 existence . 



Over the millions of years that the Sequoia has existed, climate and man 

 have been their two agents of death. We can't change climatic events. We can 

 change what we do to the few acres of public land these trees occupy. 



SHOULD NATIONAL FOREST TIMBER BE SOLD WHEN IT LOSES MONEY ? 



In 1991 Chief Dale Robertson wrote the N.Y. Times: 



"Since 1952, tree growth... has increased by 67 percent", and "timber , 

 growth on National Forest lands exceeds timber harvest by 55 percent 



■ Textbook of Dendrology, Wm. Harlow, 9 195, 1941. 



' F.S. letter to A.O. Sulzberger, Publisher. N.Y. Times, Nov. 

 19,1991. Source, PNW-RB-168. 



