Meet the Giants

Audio Narration

Transcript

The giant sequoia and California redwood are closely related but can be differentiated if you look closely. The giant sequoia is the largest tree in the world in volume and has an immense trunk with a very slight taper. The California redwood is the world’s tallest tree and has a slender trunk. The bark of the giant sequoia is bright reddish brown, whereas that of the redwood is a dull chocolate brown. Both species reproduce from small seeds found in cones. The cones and seed of the giant sequoia are about three times the size of the redwoods. Redwoods are one of the few conifers that can also develop sprouts from cut stumps, roots and burls.

The giant sequoia is typically found growing in pockets along the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada in central California between 1,200 to 2,400 metres elevation. Whereas the redwood grows near the Pacific Ocean on the coast in a more or less continuous belt about 720 kilometres long and 24 kilometres wide.