In the Woods - Episode 60: Redwoods and Giant Sequoia

Redwoods and Giant Sequoias

Table of Contents

Summary

In this episode of 'In the Woods' from Oregon State University's Extension Service, host Lauren Grand discusses redwoods and giant sequoias with forestry experts Dan Stark, Norma Kline, Alicia Christiansen, and Stephen Fitzgerald. The episode dives into the growing interest in planting these iconic trees in Oregon, despite their native ranges being primarily in California. The conversation touches on the environmental factors influencing tree growth, potential benefits and challenges, concerns about pests and diseases, and the possible impacts on local ecosystems. The experts also provide insights into the management practices, regulatory considerations, and economic potential of these species in Oregon. Additionally, the episode highlights a new publication available through OSU Extension that offers detailed guidance on growing these trees in the region.

Full Transcript

[00:00:00] Show Introduction

Lauren Grand: From the Oregon State University's Extension Service, you are listening to In the Woods with the Forestry and Natural Resources Program. This podcast brings the forest to listeners by sharing the stories and voices of forest scientists, land managers, and enthusiastic members of the public. Each episode, we will bring you research and science-based information that aims to offer some insight into what we know and are still learning about forest science and management.

Stick around to discover a new topic related to forests on each episode.

[00:00:32] Introduction to the Episode

We'll explore concerns about pests, competition with native species regulations, and whether redwoods and Sequoias could have a future in Oregon's forestry industry. From their availability in local nurseries to their management and economic potential. We're unpacking some of the key topics you need to know about redwoods and giant sequoias as they start to grow more in Oregon.

[00:01:33] Meet the Experts

Lauren Grand: So this podcast is brought to you by a team of experts from Oregon State University's extension forestry team. We've got on the podcast today, Dan Stark, Norma Kline, Alicia Christiansen, and Stephen Fitzgerald. With years of experience in forest management, ecology and education, they provide research-based insights to help landowners, professionals and the public understand Oregon's forests.

Their expertise spans everything from tree health and invasive species to sustainable forestry practice and industry tens andin, coincidentally. They are also the team of co-authors that have brought to you a new extension publication on how to grow redwoods and giant Sequoia in Oregon. And we'll be talking about what they write in that publication today.

So welcome to the podcast everyone.

Stephen Fitzgerald: Thanks. Thanks for having us.

Lauren Grand: I am so excited to have my colleagues on the episode today. People that I get to work with all the time is always so much more fun to talk to. No insults to the other people I have on the podcast. Love talking to you too.

[00:02:37] Personal Redwood Stories

Lauren Grand: But we're gonna start off a little bit more personally and I'm gonna ask you each a question.

Tell me a little bit about what interests you about redwoods and giant Sequoias. So let's start with Daniel Stark.

Daniel Stark: Hi everybody. Yeah. This is Dan here and gosh, they are just such both beautiful species. I grew up in California and I grew up in Southern California, which, you had to travel to some distance to see some trees and my dad was an avid camper and we were all avid campers and we would drive up to the redwoods to go camping and it was just such a great sight to see when I was a kid these giant, giant beings that were, just so breathtaking to see. That's a term that's used a lot to describe these species as breathtaking. I lived in, in Humboldt, in, in Del Norte counties for a while too, where I just really got to live with them and they're a great species.

I could go on and on, but I won't, we have limited time.

Lauren Grand: Thanks, Dan. How about you, Norma?

Norma Kline: Right. Like Dan, I did a lot of camping in the redwoods and you've heard of this term First Forest. The Redwoods really were my first forest, so such a iconic species and level environment. So it's really interesting to see how we might explore them in Oregon. But I have to mention that they're native to at least the Coast Redwood or the Redwood is native to the Southern Curry County, which is my area.

Lauren Grand: Oh, Norma, you took my thunder. I was gonna tell everybody how lucky you are that you get to be among the redwoods more often than most of us. Thanks for sharing that tidbit. How about you, Alicia?

Alica Christiansen: Well, like Dan here, I'm a fellow California native, and I just absolutely loved the tree. When I was in college at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, our school forest was three hours north of us in the Santa Cruz mountains and it was a redwood forest. And so that was where all of my undergraduate education all of our practicals and labs and everything was in the redwood forests of Santa Cruz.

And that was such an amazing formative place to learn how to be a forester and to have that be your introductory species of what forestry is, was pretty incredible. And so they've always held a very special place in my heart and I've been really excited to dive into this topic and learn more about what it can look like in Oregon and what people are doing about it in Oregon.

Lauren Grand: Awesome. Thanks, Alicia. Okay, last but not least, Mr. Steve Fitzgerald.

Stephen Fitzgerald: I think one of the first times I experienced the redwoods, we went backpacking in Redwood Creek, like down in there, camped out. And I just was in awe of the size and height of these trees. It was incredible. And you're sitting around the creek and you just see this grove of really huge trees, just, you feel so small.

But I think what was interesting is, you know, I have a fire ecology background, and I didn't know this at the time, but there was so much evidence of fire on these large trees, large fire scars, and they were hollowed out. And I was, that really got me interested in, in, in fire in the, in the redwoods.

Lauren Grand: Great. Well, everyone's got an amazing redwood introduction story. Thank you for sharing.

[00:05:58] Redwoods and Sequoias in Oregon

Lauren Grand: And speaking of the word redwood, I just wanna point out before we dive deeper into the topics that we're gonna talk about today. You might have heard the word redwood interchangeably for coastal Redwood and giant Sequoia.

On the podcast today, we will be referring to coastal redwood as Redwood and Giant Sequoia as giant Sequoia. Now we might throw some slang out every once in a while and say Sequoia, but we generally mean giant Sequoia. And for that as well. So just wanna make sure we were all on the same page and let's dive in.

Okay, Dan, let's start with you. As we mentioned, redwoods are not native to most parts of Oregon. Thank you. Norma and giant Sequoia are only native to California. There's a lot of interest in planting them here among landowners. Can you explain sort of what some of the motives have been that you've discovered for why people are starting to plant these species around the state?

Daniel Stark: Sure. I'd love to, and first of all, I'd like to say of the people that I interact with, and I'm sure it's similar with a lot of you extension foresters and others in FNR, when we interact with people who grow them here, we get just this same kind of excitement that we've shared here. They, people just revere these species. So that is one of the main reasons people just, there're revered species, they're iconic. People want to grow them for a lot of different reasons. We wanted to kind of pin some of these ideas down or, why people were growing. We wanted to figure out why they were growing. we distributed a survey throughout Oregon, particularly in western Oregon to our woodland owners and various partners to really find out a bunch of things for this publication and, and particularly why people are planting them. So, we had a whole list of, of possibilities or, or, you know, reasons why people really wanted to plant that.

Many of those reasons that we got from our survey included aesthetics. So like I mentioned, people really like them and, and like how they look and how their, their tree form and all of that. People are planning 'em for timber purposes. We have some small woodland owners who are actually growing acres of redwoods.

I do have a small woodland owner who has some giant sequoias groving in an old Christmas tree farm. They're planted all around the state. People listed conservation and restoration efforts as some reasons why they plant either of these species. Another big one was adaptation to climate change.

We talk about assisted migration in this paper, moving trees beyond their, their range to in a different climate so they perhaps have a better chance of survival and are changing climates. And one that I thought was really neat too. And people just wanted to experiment with a new tree species to see how it would grow, what it would do on their woodlands and how it would interact with all of the other values that they have on, on their forest..

Lauren Grand: Okay, thanks Daniel. Those are a lot of reasons and you know, as I think through what the different things are that redwood and giant Sequoia can provide it totally fits into all of those things.

But yeah, really interesting to see such a wide breadth of ideas as to why people are planting the species.

[00:08:56] Environmental Factors for Growth

Lauren Grand: So let's go into a little bit more about the ecology of the two species.

Can you share with us what some of the environmental factors are that these species need to be able to grow well, how they survive, are they able to survive in Oregon and do well based on our different environmental factors such as soils, rainfall, temperature, and things like that?

Daniel Stark: Sure. Yeah. And first of all, I'd like to say, you know, a lot of the benefits for growing these species here really do coincide with some of these reasons that we heard we, we got from our, our survey. So, these benefits include biodiversity per reasons restoration efforts, especially in their native range in southern Oregon, like Norma mentioned, where they're used a lot in stream restoration efforts.

Redwood assisted migration and aada adaptation to climate change. And also timber, the, the, the, you know, the potential benefit of producing timber here. So, I mean, I would love to have a nice redwood fence in my yard. Grown, harvested and milled in Oregon, right? That would just be really so great.

Regarding the environmental factors such as soil, compaction, temperature, rainfall that affect how well these species can grow in Oregon. Talking about soil composition, redwood and their native range. Just remember, we have a lot of our information comes from California.

But you know, we just don't have a lot of information of where and how they're growing here. So that is something that we identified as a need here. We'd like to hear more from our woodland owners now they're growing them.

So we could take some measurements here, but, and the native range redwoods occur on deep moist soils, and we're gonna get a little technical here for some of you soil nords, the inceptisol, and and, um, ultisol soil orders. So common parent materials are gray, wacky sandstones, shales, and conglomerates found along alluvial fans, coast plains and benches along large streams.

Inceptisols are soils of semi arid to humid environments that generally exhibit more moderate degrees of soil weathering and development. Whereas ultisols are soils in more humid areas. They form from intense weathering and leaching processes that result in the clay enriched subsoil. Now that's a little bit different from giant Sequoia within their native groves.

Giant Sequoia only occurred I would use the term naturally, I guess. It's a, it's a, a weighted term in their native groves in California, so they grow in soils derived from granitic based residual and alluvial soils, glacial out- wash from granite and other parent materials. Preferred sites where giant sequoias can be found thriving are sites with deep, well drained sandy loams, which occur with a higher frequency on mesic sites such as drainage bottoms and meadow edges. So that's how the, how what the soil types they like to grow on in terms of temperature.

Redwoods can be found naturally occurring on sites that experience both the maritime Mediterranean climate with cool and rainy winters and dry summers. That sounds a lot like climates we have here in Oregon. Right. And a temperate rainforest climate with heavy rain and moderate winter and summer temperatures.

Well, that does sound a lot like Oregon, also, across both climate types. Temperatures average between 44 degrees Fahrenheit, that's about seven degrees Celsius and the winter 66 degrees Fahrenheit or 19 degrees Celsius in the summer. Temperatures rarely fall between 15 degrees Fahrenheit or rise above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

So that, of course, is in their native range. Comparatively giant Sequoia can withstand temperatures ranging from 12 degrees to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, but it typically is found in areas with January minimums of 21 degrees to 34 degrees Fahrenheit and July maximums of 75 degrees to 84 degrees Fahrenheit.

Its natural range falls within USDA zone nine, however, the tree is hardy to zone six for all of you folks. Who are familiar with those, those different types of climatic zones looking at rainfall for, for redwood precipitation mostly winter rain averages 70 inches across redwoods.

Redwoods range with 90% of the precipitation falling between October and May. A heavy fog belt mitigates dry summers and fog helps reduce drought stress, decreasing evapotranspiration, and adding soil moisture from fog drip. So again, it sounds very similar to a lot of places that we have here in Oregon, particularly in our coastal areas.

For giant Sequoia, it's found in a humid climate. Characterize by dry summers, mean annual precipitation in the groves varies from about 90 to 1400 millimeters. With high year to year variation, less than 33 millimeters usually falls between June 1st and September 30th. Lastly, I just want to talk a little bit about the elevations where they grow.

Redwoods can be found within its range elevations ranging from sea level to 3000 feet. However, most stands occur from 100 to 2,320 feet. Again, that's in its native range. Giant Sequoia occurs in elevations from around 4,590 to 6,500 feet and the northern portion of its range, and from 5,580 to 7,050 feet in the southern part.

So you can tell where there might be some places in Oregon and where there are places in Oregon where both of these species could probably find a home and do well.

Lauren Grand: Great, Dan, thanks for that summary. And it does sound a lot like a lot of the environmental features that we see in different areas in Oregon. And, it is also just a, a little bit of an experiment seeing where they do well around the state. Speaking of how well they do around the state, you know, you did a really good job of letting us know about their growing conditions, but growing conditions aren't the only thing that it affect the tree species that we see here in Oregon.

There are animals that also have an effect and pests and diseases.

[00:14:45] Pests and Diseases

Lauren Grand: So, Norma, can you give us a little bit of a summary about how these trees might be affected by, some of the more health related concerns that could be present and living with these tree species in Oregon.

Norma Kline: Yes, I'm glad you asked this question, because redwoods and giant sequoias are both susceptible to animal damage. Deer rub their antlers against the bark of saplings stripping their bark and bears clock to the bark and eat the cambium. And this can be a serious issue where I am in Curry County on the southern Oregon coast.

Wood rats and gray squirrels are both known to strip the bark as well, and rodents such as voles which is a particular problem in grassy areas can damage and kill seedlings. So in reforestation areas, you might want to protect the ceilings from rodent damage with mesh tubes or metal foil wrapped at the base of the trees.

But just remember, seedlings can quickly outgrow these measures. So don't be surprised if you see damage on trees as large as eight inches in diameter. And so there are a number of insects and pathogens that can affect redwoods and giant sequoias as well. Various rots can be found on old growth or damaged trees.

And in Curry County ramorum leaf blight can cause tip die back on sprouts, but that will not typically kill the trees. So ramorum leaf blight is caused by pathoga ramorum which is the same pathogen that causes sudden oak death. Additionally cedar and cypress bark beetles are occasionally seen but they don't typically cause significant damage.

So these are just a few examples. Our new publication has a more exhaustive list.

Lauren Grand: Thanks, Norma. And I have to say, I have to share a story that with vole damage and I have to admit, I was a little stumped. I had a landowner invite me out. She had planted giant Sequoia because she was really excited about the potential for a new species and mitigating potentially having an opportunity to mitigate climate change.

But there were these huge faces at the base of the tree that were just of the bark peeled away. And the trees were fairly large. And so voles was not the first thing that came to mind, but that's what it was. And you're right, they can be a big pest on young trees. So thanks for sharing that and letting us know the concerns.

Is there anything so far that we've seen that causes large scale mortality? Or it might be an issue if somebody is planting the tree species in a larger scale setting?

Norma Kline: I think you know. Something that folks need to consider is where they're gonna be planting the species. The site will be really important for that.

Lauren Grand: Okay. Thank you. That makes sense. And sort of will guide us a little bit into the next question that Steve's gonna help us answer.

[00:17:50] Impact on Local Ecosystems

Lauren Grand: So Steve, can you talk a little bit about how redwoods and giant sequoias might impact a local ecosystem when it's planted outside its range? Are there any concerns about competition with native species or concerned about change in, the way the ecosystem might be interacting?

Stephen Fitzgerald: Yeah, I mean there's, there's a lot of questions and actually speculation about all that. We really don't know. We haven't been planting redwood that long to really see if it's having any kind of negative effect positive effect or indifferent. We know that when it's planted.

Of course it's ranged within Oregon and in southwest Oregon, but even up through the mid-coast, it does very, very well. Most of the cases there, if it's been planted more as a plantation, much like Douglas f being planted as a plantation, it does really well as far as with mixtures. It with Douglas Fir, it'll probably outgrow Douglas Fir.

And so you have to be careful about if you're planting a mixture that you give Doug fir needs a bit more space than Redwoods. And so if you're trying to grow two species, you just have to keep that in mind. As far as its growth, it's tremendous. At least within some plantings that have occurred in the coastal areas of Oregon the growth has been almost double what Douglas Fir will grow.

And that's, that's like, that's, it's, it totally blows you away when you see some of these stands, and that's, that's within the coast range. There are some plantings, I think Lauren, I think you got some plantings in the, around the Willamette Valley, and those are impressive as well, although they may not grow as, as well as those on the coast.

But given that the, Wilammette valley's a little is warmer and drier, it's still impressive.

Lauren Grand: Yeah, there have definitely been a lot more plantings here in the Willamette Valley, and I'm seeing a lot more large stands of them pop up, and those trees are pretty impressive.

Stephen Fitzgerald: With respect to giant Sequoia, we don't see as many planted on the coast, in the coast range for potential timber. It's usually more of a, a species of interest, maybe adding some diversity. It, it likely will do better, more on interior sites around southwest Oregon and in the warmer Willamette Valley where we see it does very well, both planted as a, really as an ornamental or just as a iconic species on your property.

There are some small plantations of, of giant Sequoia that show , impressive growth. Currently we don't have really a market for giant Sequoia, but but it is impressive to see what it will do on some of these drier interior sites.

Lauren Grand: Yeah, great. Could be an option for people who don't have an interest in selling the trees at some point,

Stephen Fitzgerald: Yeah, I mean, they grow well and they sequester a lot of carbon. They grow big, and so if you think about climate change and carbon sequestration, both the coast Redwood and giant Sequoia, hands down, they can outgrow a lot of other species.

Lauren Grand: they do, they get the job done. Okay, great. Obviously the trees are available, people are planting them.

[00:21:19] Where to Get Redwood and Sequoia Seedlings

Lauren Grand: Norma, can you share with us a little bit of information on, where people can get these trees if they're interested in them, and what people need to think about as they purchase and plant the trees on their own property?

Norma Kline: Yes. So the most helpful resource for folks in regards to seedlings is the Oregon Department of Forestry Publication called sources of Native Forest Nursery Seedlings. And this publication is updated I think, if not yearly, fairly often, and it has a list of nurseries with contact information, including websites.

And so some of the nurseries keep lists of available species that they offer. And I took a quick look this morning and I did see that there was some availability of redwoods and giant Sequoia listed there. So redwood will be most appropriate for the coast region. Like, like Fitz mentioned. But just don't plant it too close to the beach as it's not tolerant to salt spray and giant Sequoia, it's gonna be better suited for those mid elevations.

It may be in the West Cascades that have deep, well drained soils and maybe the periphery of the Wilammette valley on sites that can get adequate moisture, but you know, like we've been talking the whole time, we're still trying to figure all this stuff out for Oregon. So it's important to point out that there are no established seed zones for either redwood or giant Sequoia in Oregon.

There are currently some ongoing redwood trials but this point the recommendation would be choosing planning stock from areas with similar climates. And so, for example, for Redwood stock from seed zones in Northern California would be likely more suitable than stock from the southern range of redwood in California.

But like I I've said before, we still have lots of learning in this area. Another important issue is that there might not be much choice in this kind of stock type that's available for purchase. And so in some cases you might only be able to find plugs. So, so it's important that if you are planting plugs it's particularly important to have good site preparation and protection from animal damage.

Lauren Grand: Great. Those are really important to think things to think about when you're sort of establishing new trees on the property.

[00:23:47] Managing Redwood and Sequoia Trees

Lauren Grand: And now as those trees grow up and we think about managing them into saplings and mature trees, Steve, can you talk a little bit about how managing these trees might be the same or differ from some of our more native species?

Stephen Fitzgerald: I think that a, a couple of things. One, you can manage 'em similarly to like Douglas Fir, except that redwood can sustain a higher density of trees for a given, say, average diameter. And so you can you can maintain denser stands but as we all know, stands that are too dense, whether it's Douglas Fir or Redwoods or Ponderosa Pine, there's a point where trees begin to slow down and get stressed.

And so what we don't know we don't really I don't have any like thinning studies of Redwood or Sequoia in Oregon to kind of, to kind of, help us in that, and that, that'd be like the next step is setting up trials on thinning to see how well they do in thinning, in different densities and thinning in different methods.

And so, there have been some thinning studies in down in California, and I think we can use those as a template for setting up thinning studies or demonstrations here, and also thinning studies in, giant Sequoia. There's been some in the Sierras and it responds very positively to, to thinning that as they grow, release and maintain their health in bigger.

So, in our publication our Redwood and Sequoia publication, we have some density, some preliminary density tables that I've put together for people to begin. Think about a thinning as their stance get bigger and so stands that are in their, getting into their, their twenties may require some thinning to maintain healthy and vigorous trees.

Lauren Grand: So that's great. So yeah, once you plant the trees, you wanna make sure that you can, they survive and you, we can sustain them for a long period of time. So that's some really good in insight.

Stephen Fitzgerald: And I, I would add that there may be some mixed planting lets say of Douglas Fir and Redwood. And we just, that one we've kinda learned as we go. We do know that if Douglas Fir gets out competed, it will drop out of the stands. So, so it may be sensitive. The timing and the type of thinning that you do when planting a mixture, in this case of Douglas Fir, which requires a lot of light in space versus redwood, which is more shade tolerant and can handle more density than Douglas Fir.

Lauren Grand: So Alicia I'm gonna bring the conversation to you now.

[00:26:31] Regulations for Planting Redwood and Giant Sequoia

Lauren Grand: We've been talking a lot about planting and managing but one of the undertones of, you know, managing forests and thinking about trees in Oregon is regulations and our Oregon Forest Practices Act especially after, post-harvest planting.

Are there any regulations that landowners need to consider when they're thinking about planting or managing for redwoods and giant Sequoia?

Alica Christiansen: Definitely. And while this might not be the really fun, shiny thing about redwood and giant Sequoia that we get to think about regulations are definitely something that folks should consider depending on why they are planting these species in the first place. So, if you're having to fulfill a requirement, a reforestation requirement under the Oregon Forest Practice Act or if you are trying to implement a cost share program or retain tax deferral status, those are kind of three situations where you want to dive into the regulatory side to understand how redwood and Sequoia could fit into that.

[00:27:39] Forest Practice Act and Reforestation Requirements

Alica Christiansen: So, let's talk about with the forest Practice Act first. So if you have a timber harvest and you wanna plant these species after a timber harvest, you first need to check with your Oregon Department of Forestry Stewardship Forester to make sure that redwoods are considered a suitable native species that can fulfill that reforestation requirement in your area.

Now we know we've heard that redwoods are only native to a small portion of Oregon. So, in that portion of Oregon, then that redwood would be suitable. But for the rest of the state, it's likely that you're going to need to file an alternate plan of practice in order to make it allowable that redwoods could be planted on site after a harvest.

And there's always the likelihood that, or there's always the consideration that if the redwoods did not survive, you would still have an obligation to meet minimum stocking levels. And in those cases, you would have to do another reforestation effort resulting in additional costs. So if you're gonna be using it to fulfill reforestation requirements, make sure that you're selecting the right species and doing it thoughtfully to kind of avoid any future potential second planting that you might come upon for planting an offsite species, there's always that risk.

[00:29:05] Tax Implications for Planting Non-Native Species

Alica Christiansen: Then thinking about the tax side of things. So in Oregon, landowners can enroll in special programs that reduce the annual property tax on forested properties. These programs are offered through the Oregon Department of Revenue, and that's through your local county assessor's office, how it's administered.

And they offer annual tax savings for property owners. And the programs are only applicable for forested property properties that are adequately stocked with marketable tree species. And that marketable piece is determined by what the Oregon Department of Forestry Stocking standards say. So if you want to plant an enrolled property with a majority of non-native species, such as giant Sequoia or redwood.

The property, there's a chance that this property might not qualify for this Forest Land special assessment program anymore. That is, unless there's a written stocking plan for alternative practice that has been filed and approved by Oregon Department of Forestry. And if you decide to pull out of these tax deferral programs altogether, then you might have to meet certain financial obligations in order to exit the program.

So it's really important to be thoughtful about it from the tax side of things when you're thinking about planting these species on your property to meet minimum stocking.

[00:30:26] Cost Share Programs and Planting Considerations

Alica Christiansen: And then another thing to consider is if you're thinking about enrolling in a cost share program how planting a potentially offsite species might affect your eligibility for those.

So the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service, that's a common agency that many folks will apply for competitive grant programs and cost share programs through this is nationwide. And these programs enable landowners to integrate conservation practices into their working land plans. All of the programs have different eligibility and implementation requirements, but if there is a planting component where you want to replant an area, generally native species are what is going to be considered acceptable for those reforestation efforts.

So you wanna talk with your local natural resource conservation service office before finalizing the specific tree species that you're going to include in your planting efforts. Because it's possible that both giant Sequoia and Coast Redwood could be excluded from reimbursement for these cost share programs.

Since they are not native for the majority of the state of Oregon, obviously, except for the southern Oregon coast like we've been talking about.

[00:31:41] Urban Planting Considerations for Redwoods

Alica Christiansen: And then last, I just wanna throw out there for consideration, if you are considering planting redwoods in an urban area, so near a home or even near like a septic system or a neighbor's property, it might not be recommended to do so because the roots can invade pipes and gardens and break sidewalls and road surfaces.

Redwoods grow incredibly fast, three to 10 feet in height per year. And so that size and that rate of growth really needs to be considered before planting these trees near any sort of infrastructure. Additionally, if you're in an urban area, there could be regulatory considerations regarding trees, blocking view, scapes the proximity of trees to roads, sidewalks, or power lines.

So you need to check with that city to see if there's a tree ordinance prior to planting the trees in urban areas. So lots of things to consider, but all good things to make sure you have your ducks in a row before planting these trees.

Lauren Grand: Thanks, Alicia. That's all that is important that we think about all of the potential impacts and to both property, business, environment to before we're making those types of decisions. And speaking of impacts and environment I feel like I am, have to apologize to you, Alicia, 'cause I have you presenting all of the impacts related to these species.

[00:33:09] Ecological Implications of Planting Redwoods and Sequoias

Lauren Grand: But can you share with us some of the potential ecological implications of integrating redwoods and sequoias into our forest industry or planting them in within our landscapes?

Alica Christiansen: Yeah.

[00:33:21] Wood Properties and Market Potential

Alica Christiansen: So in looking at those economic and ecological implications redwood and giant Sequoia, they do have some key similarities and some key differences if we're looking at them for growing these species for wood quality and wood products the wood properties of the species are comparable. Both are lightweight, but very strong and have a coarse texture.

But both species are also considered very resistant to decay. But Coast Redwood is more resistant to those things than giant Sequoia. So given all of that coast Redwood actually has wood properties that become more favorable as an old growth tree which is why those species are harvested typically when they are older.

But giant Sequoia, it is both stronger and heavier when it is harvested as a young growth tree. So it is more favorable as a wood product when it is harvested at a younger age. And also, if you are to prune, do proper early pruning on giant Sequoia. They have a lot of branches that can lower the quality of the wood product.

But if you're to do some early pruning, the wood value can definitely increase for giant Sequoia as well. And so this is just an interesting thing to think about in terms of, you know, how people view the lifespan of a tree and how that relates to its value. And there could be more social license for harvesting giant Sequoia, since it is a younger tree when you harvest it, versus growing coast Redwood as it's typically an older tree when you harvest it.

As far as markets go currently there aren't any markets for giant Sequoia in Oregon or really in California for that case either. Coast Redwood is really only commercially sold on the south coast of Oregon. It's mostly milled in California. However, in Oregon. There are a lot of private timber companies who are experimenting with growing redwood.

And when you are a company, you don't just think about the planting of the tree, but you think about the end game and how and when will this be harvested and processed. And so there is discussion that Cedar Mills might be willing to run redwood through those cedar mills, but currently the redwoods just aren't at the point where there's enough stock available to fill a full operational shift at these mills.

And so that's not being done in Oregon at a, on a commercial scale otherwise. Right now, if folks have either species available for harvest that need to be harvested, you're looking to go to a portable sawmill. Depending on the quality of the wood, you might find that firewood distributors are kind of gonna be your best bet there.

Or even local artisans that are making specialty wood products might be interested in purchasing those species.

Lauren Grand: Let's dive a little bit deeper into some specifics. Dan, can you talk about what the evidence is so far about if Redwood and Giant Sequoia could be a viable resource for timber and other forest products in this region?

Daniel Stark: Oh yeah, absolutely. And I would have to say wholeheartedly, it, it can be it's a very useful species, you, me, we mentioned and have talked about, you know, it's relative you know, rot resistance and pest resistance. So, they have a, redwoods in particular have a high value in building construction and things like heavy beams and bridge, edge timbers, planks, siding, sash doors, veneers, furniture, cooling equipment, plywood, you know, all kinds of, of of shingles, right? We have rent. My dad, I had to help my dad shingle our whole roof in southern California with redwood shingles nailing it in one by one for a, a period of about two weeks in the summertime.

Rot resistant. They hold up really well, in particular in those dry climates in Southern California with little rain. So, they're also used, you know, we talked about how aesthetically pleasing they are and how the wood is just so beautiful and that that rich red color. They're really great choice for that reason, for exterior siding.

Outdoor decks I mentioned, you know, putting up some nice fencing, but man, have a nice outdoor redwood deck that you could pop your hot tub in, would certainly be nice. So, you know, and they're also used in garden features. So, apart from just the wood, the fiber spark is used for hog fuel insulation and garden mulch.

So you might have picked up some of that when you're, you know, planting some of your gardening for the summertime putting down some of that redwood mulch to keep the moisture in the soil. Redwood's also prized for its burls, a growth on it, this is that growth on that tree that causes the grain to become disfigured.

The disfigured grain creates intricate patterns when used for figured tabletops, veneers and bowls and other turned products. So, a lot of potential here for that. For giant Sequoia. Old growth giant Sequoia in particular was historically used for fence post grape steaks, shingles, novelties, patio furniture, and pencils.

Alicia talked about that they were a little bit more valuable in their younger stages. So, when they're a little bit more in their senescent ages, you know, they're kind of used as kind of these other in these other ways. Again, so young, giant sequoia, having more favorable wood properties can also be used as dimensional lumber.

Veneer, plywood and pulp.

Lauren Grand: Hey. Thanks, Dan. Wow. What a wealth of knowledge from all of you. Sharing so much information about these two iconic species. I just wanna give the opportunity for anybody to jump in to share anything that we think is really important that we missed and wanna talk about before I make you all, tell me what your favorite tree is.

Norma Kline: Yeah, I'll jump in there. Yeah, Lauren, I just wanted to revisit the importance of planting these species in the right site. I had mentioned that for redwood you would not want to use a seed zone from, for example, the far southern redwood zone, way up and plant it way up in northern Oregon.

Offsite species are extremely susceptible to forest health issues and they will likely not do well, you know, if planted so far off of their, the native seed zone.

Lauren Grand: Okay, great. Thanks, Normand. That's really important to think about, especially if we're trying out new species in a new area. Anybody else?

Stephen Fitzgerald: I would just say that if you end up planting coast redwood on your property is that you'll have it forever in the sense that it, it once, if you harvest it, it will sprout. So, and keep resprouting. So you wanna make sure that that's what you wanna do for the long term. Of course the sprouting saves you on having to replant down the road if you harvest them for timber 'cause it'll readily sprout back.

But, I just wanted to mention that the sprouting capability of post-Redwood

Lauren Grand: thank you. Yeah, that's a really important thing to think about is that you know, your decision has long-term consequences when you're planting coastal redwood. Okay, well, just as we mentioned at the very beginning of the episode you know, there is a new publication that was written about growing redwoods and giant Sequoia in Oregon that can be found in our OSU extension catalog.

We just scratched the surface today on some of these really important issues and topics. If you wanna dive deeper into those and see all those amazing tables that Fitz developed on density and some great pictures that we've all collected please go ahead over to our OSU extension website and take a look at the publication.

And then also, while you are listening today, if any other questions related to the specific topics of Redwood and Giant Sequoia came up that we didn't answer for you and you want us to cover in a future episode, let us know and leave us a comment or send us a message on our website at in the woods podcast.com.

Okay? Don't leave us yet. I've got lots of questions. Okay, so I'm going to actually do this lightning style and since there's so many of you, we'll do rapid response.

[00:41:34] Favorite Trees and Field Essentials

Lauren Grand: And first we're gonna start with what's your favorite tree? \

We'll start with we'll go Dan, Norma, Alicia Fitz. Okay.

Daniel Stark: Hi, this is Dan. Yeah, I would say Redwood. Ah, yeah, that's just because we're talking about this. It's a great tree. I still have to just fall on Ponderosa pine. It is just one of my favorite trees.

Lauren Grand: Norma.

Norma Kline: Yeah. Well, I love Redwood of course, but you know, near and dear to my heart is Port Orford Cedar, which has a very limited range in Southern or Oregon.

Alica Christiansen: I'm gonna copy dance and. Answer while I love redwood, Ponderosa pine, by far, is my favorite. There's nothing like a ponderosa pine, a well-managed ponderosa pine forest.

Stephen Fitzgerald: My favorite would be Western Larch sometimes called Tamara. And I like it because it's a deciduous conifer. And in the fall it has a very spectacular yellow color. And it's very fire resistant. And actually it's another species that they used to make shakes out of it for, for doing roofs on buildings.

So anyway, that's my favorite.

Lauren Grand: All good choices and man, I really have to point out, Norma, you're super awesome today with the multiple tree species that only grow in a small region in your region in Oregon with port orford cedar there. So you get the double check mark today. Okay, so for everybody what's the most interesting thing that you bring with you in the field, in your field kit or cruiser vest?

Dan, you're up.

Daniel Stark: Can we defer to, I'm gonna defer to Fitz

Stephen Fitzgerald: uh,

Lauren Grand: Fitz, Fits, you're up.

Stephen Fitzgerald: this may not sound all that interesting. I mean, because usually have some kind of forestry tools, like a d tape, an increment bo I have to say my phone, not to use it as a phone. I, the camera and then the, the camera. I. I used to take a camera out in the woods, but now the phones are so good because I can take pictures of things that I can research later, or if I have connectivity, I can look it up right there.

And so, no longer do I have to have my phone and then a camera and fiddle around with the, the camera. I can just do it all with one, one tool and then also have a source for information if I wanna look something up.

Norma Kline: Well, the most important thing I keep in my field best is my lunch. But the most interesting thing I carry with me is a mechanical range finder. Really old fashioned, a piece of equipment called a top con. Doesn't have batteries, works, in, in the freezing fog. It's a pretty cool thing.

Alica Christiansen: I'd have to say that one of the most interesting things I bring in the field is on my phone and it's the app called a Venza. And so taking what Fitz is talking about, taking pictures that is integrated into this app on avenza and you can collect all sorts of really interesting data. I love to be documenting when I'm out in the woods and so I can know exactly where I am and have photos and information attached to the points that I make.

And that's very useful when I get back home and can't remember all the stops I made that day. I have it on my phone to help me remember.

Daniel Stark: Okay, I am ready to tell about the weird things that I bring in my vest with me. And I am a forest health nerd. And in my previous life I was a big insect nerd and a forest pathology nerd and forest disease nerd. I still am, but not so much in a scientific way. So I carry in my vest a chisel and I also carry some disinfectant and I carry, attach little vials and baggies because you never know when you might find a neat infestation on a tree, like an insect I might not know about, or some kind of oozing that might need some sampling to see if there's some kind of disease there.

And of course, I have to put it in my collection kits and my baggies and my little vials. So, I'm a happy little forest nerd when I get to do those things.

Lauren Grand: Always fun when you get to collect some tree ooze. Dan, thanks for sharing.

Daniel Stark: Absolutely.

[00:45:51] Recommended Resources and Final Thoughts

Lauren Grand: Okay, and then the last question, maybe you won't all have an answer to this, but I'll let you sort of popcorn in with what resources you would recommend to our listeners if they are interested in diving deeper in today's topic.

Of course, our publication will be first on the list, but what else can they, they look for?

Daniel Stark: I recommend that people you know, we had mentioned, repeatedly today that we just don't have a lot of information about these true species in Oregon. You know, so time that in time that will change. This publication will hopefully contribute to that knowledge base, but, you know, go to places where they, where both species grow natively.

So that's in California. So, I'd like to recommend our kind of, counterpart to in, in the north coast of California and Humboldt donor counties. We have a uc, a and r cooperative extension there that does a lot of tree work there. In particular the forest health person Yana Valakovik has a lot of public.

Publications on this. So that whole Redwood region has lots of events and they also have lots of resources available for you. Redwood National Park has a lot of information on managing species and how they manage them in particular, so go to those places in California. USDA has a lot of information on tree species and these tree species in general.

So, check out California where these tree species grow. You'll find great resources.

Alica Christiansen: Of the things that I would suggest is, you know, we were talking about how, I think Fitz said it. Once you plant a redwood, you know you're never gonna get rid of it. It's gonna be there forever. And so there's a publication that we have with OSU extension EC 1 4 3 8, selecting, planting and Caring for a New Tree.

I think that is a really important publication to read, and there's some things in there to consider prior to selecting either redwood or giant Sequoia to plant, especially if you're thinking this is something that you want your road or a home or a fence, your neighbor's property. Be really thoughtful with it and so check that publication out.

Lauren Grand: You got one? Fitz, .

Stephen Fitzgerald: Oh, I was gonna mention the one that Alicia just did, so.

Lauren Grand: Okay. . Okay. Anybody else?

Well, those are some really good resources. Of course, we'll have a list of them with links updated on the episode posts page on our website that's in the woods podcast.com. I had such a good time talking to you all today about exploring the interesting world of planting redwoods and giant sequoias in Oregon.

We discussed the environmental conditions that influenced their success, the benefits they offer, but also some of the impacts that we wanna think about before making that decision. So, if you wanna learn a little bit more, don't forget to check out our publication on the OSU extension website or contact one of us to talk more about it.

This concludes another episode of In the Woods. Join us in a couple weeks to explore another topic on Oregon's amazing Forests. But until then, what's in your woods?

The In The Woods Podcast is produced by Lauren Grand, Jacob Putney, and Scott Leavengood, who are all members of the Oregon State University Forestry and Natural Resources Extension team. Other members of the team who've been involved in the podcast include Carrie Berger. Jason O'Brien and Stephen Fitzgerald. Episodes are edited and produced by Carrie Cantrell.

Music for In the Woods was composed by Jeffrey Heino and graphic design was created by Christina Reh. Funding for In the Woods is provided by Oregon State University Forestry Natural Resources Extension, the Oregon Forest Resources Institute, and the USDA Renewable Resources Extension Act funding. We hope you enjoyed the episode and we can't wait to talk to you again next month.

Until then, what's in your woods?