Written by Shivam Dhawan, Strategy Adviser at Treejer
I wanted to write and share this with you guys since the time I heard about it and today sitting in office at 10PM after a TEDx event I find the inspiration to share some inspiration forward.
I want to tell you the story of the RedWood trees. You can google about the Redwood and the more you read, I promise you the more fascinated you’ll be. The Redwood trees are the champions and inspirational in many sense like they can grow to 300 feet or more — the tallest tree on Earth. They were once international but now exist only in pockets along the Pacific coast of North America, it used to have a much wider habitat; earlier they could be found elsewhere, as well as along the coasts of Europe and Asia.
Attaining soaring heights of more than 300 feet, they are so tall that their tops are out of sight. Some more interesting facts are that they are also the oldest species of the trees around but that’s not why I meant to talk about them or share these with you but because I want to inspire us, the Treejer team to act like a forest of RedWood because of the amazing collaboratory manner they grow, sustain and support.
The reason redwoods are special is because they stay strong in strong winds, weather and still storms. Even floods cannot destroy the redwood forest. Right now, there are about 50 redwood trees taller than 360 feet living along the Pacific Coast. They stand tall and they survive for millions of years because their roots intertwine with other RedWood trees. Compare that to the tallest pine tree at 268 feet, the tallest tanoak at 162 feet or the others in your neighbourhood at a mere 50–100 feet. One might think that such a lofty being would require deep roots, but no. The roots only extend down six to twelve feet. But what they lack in depth, they make up for in breadth. Extending up to 100 feet from the tree’s base, they intertwine with the roots of others, all holding on to each other, greatly increasing their stability. While other trees like Banyan compete with other trees for sunlight and ground, the RedWood supports its forest and its friends. Their roots help each other and create a big network of support that creates strength and stability.
They are not only supporting their own kind but They host other plants and trees sky-high. Plants that grow on other plants are called epiphytes; some of the redwoods’ epiphytes are trees themselves. Some of the trees that have been documented growing on the coast redwood include cascara (Rhamnus purshiana), sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis), Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and California bay laurel (Umbellaria californica) … some reaching astonishing heights of 40 feet. Incredibly, mats of soil on the upper branches of the canopy support other plants and whole communities of worms, insects, salamanders and mammals.
They are climate-change fighting superstars. All the trees store carbon dioxide, which makes them an important ally in fighting climate change. But according to research, Redwoods store more CO2 than any other forest in the world They hold 2,600 metric tons of carbon per hectare (2.4 acres), more than double the absorption rate of the Pacific Northwest’s conifer trees or Australia’s eucalyptus forests. Which is to say, if their majesty isn’t enough to woo the unmoved, how about that they are working to save the world?
The reason this is analogous to our team is the culture we create and propagate. That everyone that has joined us in building this vision has been supporting each other with personal and professional goals. Let’s be the RedWood forest with a helpful nature, a supportive mission for others and be a planet friendly organization.
So, by protecting our local redwood forests, we make a major contribution toward stabilizing the global climate. If these redwood trees are overcut, burned or degraded, the climate is harmed two ways: (1) by losing the trees’ power to capture CO2, and (2) by releasing enormous amounts of stored carbon into the atmosphere. (Globally, deforestation and other destructive land use account for nearly 25% of CO2 emissions.) Keep in mind that as the climate changes, the redwood forests in the Santa Cruz Mountains are one of very few areas that can provide a refuge for plants and animals to survive, because the area has many microclimates, is cooled by coastal summertime fog and is still largely unpaved. For more on these incredible sentinels, and how to help protect them, visit Treejer , also contribute to ‘Save the Redwoods’, and ‘Sempervirens Fund’ as local community planters, rangers and supporters.
