When I was young, I cut the bigger, older trees for firewood,
the ones with heart rot, dead and broken branches, the crippled and deformed ones,
because, I reasoned, they were going to fall soon anyway, and therefore,
I should give the younger trees more light and room to grow.
Now I'm older and I cut the younger, strong and sturdy, solid and beautiful trees,
and I let the older ones have a few more years
of light and water and leaf in the forest they have known so long.
Soon enough they will be prostrate on the ground.
Pfeffer State Park Redwood Forest
Redwoods are estimated to be between 500 and 700 years old, with some trees over 1000 years. They grow over 360 feet, the tallest trees in the world! 90% of redwoods have been logged off the planet. We have them here on the Calfornia coast, the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and a few groves in remote China. In the 1920s conservationist groups began efforts to preserve the remaining coastal California redwood forests. In 1850 there were 2,000,000 acres of old growth redwoods; today there are 40,000 acres. These current acres of old growth redwoods in the California State Park system protect only 45% of the remaining redwoods. If caught harming, cutting, or removing any part of a redwood tree the crime is a misdemeanor, $1000 fine and six months jail. I heart tree huggers!
Our hike up to Valley View
Probably cannot see it in this photo but you can see the ocean from here!
now you can see it, on zoom.
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