According to a new study, giant redwoods, the world’s largest trees, are flourishing in the UK and their numbers now surpass those found in their native range in California. Approximately 500,000 trees are in the UK compared to 80,000 in California. The trees were first brought to the UK about 160 years ago. However, the tallest giant redwood in the UK is 54.87m, while in California, they can reach 90m. This is because the introduced trees are still very young; giant redwoods can live for more than 2,000 years.
To assess how giant redwoods are adapting to the UK, scientists chose a sample of around 5,000 trees to study at Wakehurst, Benmore Botanic Garden in Scotland, and Havering Country Park in Essex. Laser scanners were used to measure the heights and volumes of some of these trees. They found that the trees were growing at a similar rate to the giant redwoods in their native home in the mountains of Sierra Nevada, California. The UK climate seems to suit them well because it is very wet, and they need the moisture to grow.
The scientists also studied how much carbon dioxide the trees were absorbing. They found that while giant redwoods in the UK are not absorbing as much carbon dioxide as their US counterparts, they can still lock up large amounts of it in their wood. The scientists caution that planting forests of giant redwoods alone would not be enough to significantly reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. But giant redwoods can play a part in a mixed forest plantation with a variety of other trees, both native and imported.
The natural wonders of California are under threat from climate change; they are not faring well with hotter and drier weather and more intense wildfires. The scientists think that the UK could become the new home of giant redwoods, as conditions in the UK are less pressured than in California. Despite conditions also changing in the UK with climate change, experts say giant redwoods have a long life ahead of them and won’t stay small for long. However, the trees are not reproducing in the UK, as they need very specific conditions to take seed, and there is little chance of them taking over native forests
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