Rober Diaz. Peninsula 360 Press.
These trees, which are estimated to have existed on Earth for between 2 000 and 3 000 years and which reach heights of over 100 m, pose many puzzles. The tallest known sequoia - Sequoia sempervirens or California Redwood - is called Hyperion and measures 115 m. It was discovered in 2006.
The longest living redwood has been estimated to be 3,200 years old; however, it is not the oldest tree on Earth, as it is known that in the Swedish province of Dalarna there is a spruce (Picea abies) that is about 9,550 years old, that is, a tree that dates back to the Ice Age.
By means of a technique called "dendrochronology" it is possible to know the age of the trees, and it consists of studying the environmental changes of their past by analyzing the annual growth rings of the trees. In the case of the redwoods, it is believed that their longevity is based on a compartmentalized vascular system, which allows that while some parts of the tree die, the others can remain healthy and alive.
Redwoods live at high altitudes, resisting the most dizzying changes in climate without losing size or strength. One of the largest redwoods is "the president"; there is a larger one, "General Sherman"; it has been proven that, despite its size, it continues to grow and it is estimated that "the president" has approximately two million leaves. They grow tall and develop wide canopies because that guarantees them more sunlight and rain than the others.
Because of their enormous size, they have imposed themselves on their environment. Tannic acids and other chemicals that coat the heartwood and bark prevent fungi from growing on their trunks and making them sick. Their thick bark is fireproof, that is, they are resistant to heat and fire. In fact, fires benefit them by killing off their competitors. Although heat can affect older specimens, due to their strength they have been able to maintain themselves for millennia and continue to grow.
At the end of the 19th century many sequoias were cut down, but their brittle wood caused the logs to break when they fell to the ground, making the enormous work between cutting them and then moving the already broken wood unprofitable.
Recent research shows that, contrary to what was thought, the older the trees, the less wood they produced. Redwoods go through a different process: the older they are, the more wood they produce in their trunk and therefore the more branches.
Researcher Steve Sillett and his team set out to climb the "president" in an unprecedented investigation. The study was part of a more ambitious project called the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative. They measured the trunk at different heights, its branches, the knot. And with a sterile drill, they took a sample. Then, they analyzed the figures of their measurements and that led them to conclude that the "president" has 1,530 cubic meters of wood and bark. And that his age, eye, is approximately 3,200 years. In addition, he keeps a healthy oxygenation in spite of his age.
Sillet stated in an interview for National Geographic that: "After half an hour, the summit of the 'president' was reached at 60 meters. I saw the large knots, the smooth, purplish bark of the smaller branches up close. Everything around me was a living tree. I looked up, with vertigo, and appreciated the fine cracks in the dry wood and the channels of cambium that ran between the trunk and the branches like a river of life. A wonderful place, I thought. And I added: a wonderful creature.
