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You are here >1Up Info > Wildlife, Animals, and Plants > Plant Species > Tree > Species: Sequoia sempervirens | Redwood
 

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VALUE AND USE

SPECIES: Sequoia sempervirens | Redwood
WOOD PRODUCTS VALUE : Redwood is one of Califorina's most valuable timber species [36]. The wood is soft, weak, easily split, and very resistant to decay [38,40,44]. The clear wood is used for dimension stock and shingles [44]. Redwood burls are used in the production of table tops, veneers, and turned goods [40]. IMPORTANCE TO LIVESTOCK AND WILDLIFE : Redwood forests provide habitat for variety of mammals, aviafauna, reptiles, and amphibians [7,45,48]. Remnant old-growth redwood stands provide habitat for the federally threatened spotted owl and the California-endangered marbled murrelet [1,46]. In settlement times fire scar cavities at the base of larger redwood boles were used as goose pens; hence the name "goosepens" has been used to denote fire scar cavities [14]. PALATABILITY : NO-ENTRY NUTRITIONAL VALUE : NO-ENTRY COVER VALUE : Redwood forests provide hiding and thermal cover for Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, and a variety of small mammals [24,45,48,50]. The pileated woodpecker generally selects broken tree tops or snags with rot for nesting cover. The softness of redwood, however, allows the pileated woodpecker to use green trees of adequate size. In one study only half the nests of pileated woodpeckers were in redwoods that had broken tops with rot, while the other half were in sound green trees with no sign of decay in the excavation chips [25]. In California, the state-endangered marbled murrelet nests exclusively in coastal old-growth redwood forests [46]. VALUE FOR REHABILITATION OF DISTURBED SITES : In a large cutover area acquired by Redwood National Park, both plantings and natural colonization of redwood on outsloped (recontoured into the hillside) logging roads were used with good success. This treatment curtailed erosion in the park by an estimated 6.6 million cubic feet (0.2 mil m3) [33]. Redwood was one of a number of native species used successfully to reclaim a riparian ecosytem in a city park in Berkeley; redwoods on the site had a high survival rate [57]. Redwood can be propagated via seed or cuttings. Seeds should be sown from December to April. If planting with a seed drill, the recommended depth is 0.125 inch (0.32 cm), with a seeding rate that will yield 30 seedlings per square foot (333 seedlings/sq m) [8]. Cuttings from 2- to 3-year-old seedlings produce the highest percentage of rooted cuttings (up to 90 percent); cuttings from older trees are more difficult to root [36,40]. Hedging (close-cropping) can maintain the rooting capabilities of the donor tree. By repeated hedging a single donor seedling and its clones can produce a million cuttings in 3 years [40]. Redwood can also be sucessfully propagated in plant tissue culture. The callus can be induced to generate cultured plantlets. The cultured plantlets are usually twice the size of seedlings the same age [40]. Millar and Libby [37] have developed guidelines for redwood seed collection and for the use of redwood in the restoration of disturbed areas. OTHER USES AND VALUES : The cultivars 'Nana Pendula' and 'Prostrata' are grown extensively as ornamentals due to their reduced size [28]. Redwood has been planted in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe [40]. Native Americans used redwood in the construction of canoes and as grave markers [51]. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS : Wildlife: The marbled murrelet is dependent on old-growth redwood forests for nesting habitat. This bird is listed as endangered in California and is under consideration for federal protection as a threatened species in California, Oregon, and Washington [1]. Old-growth redwood forests of northern California also provide critical habitat for the federally endangered northern spotted owl [1]. Black-tailed deer numbers increase after clearcutting in the redwood forest type as a result of the sudden increase in available understory forage. After canopy closure (20 to 30 years), black-tailed deer numbers decrease rapidly [50]. Years after clearcut Number of deer 0 to 5 43 5 to 10 142 10 to 15 21 15 to 20 21 20 to 25 8 25 to 30 8 Competition: Evergreen hardwoods are strong competitors in the redwood forest type. Tanoak (Lithocarpus densiflorus) and Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii) often resprout when cut, and reoccupy the site before redwood. These competitors can be controlled by trunk injections of triclopyr (Garlon 3A), with two to three treatments over a 4- to 5-year period giving the best results. Foliar spraying with triclopyr can also control hardwoods but has adverse effects on redwood [56]. Mulching and the use of ground covers increase survival of planted seedlings by reducing water evaporation and reducing competition from shrubs [35]. Seedling survival can also be enhanced with the use of shades [2]. Damage: Damaging agents include insects, branch canker (Coryneum spp.), and heart rots (Poria sequoiae, P. albipellucida). The insects associated with redwood cause no significant damage, but the branch canker girdles stems and branches, which can be especially harmful in plantations. Heart rots cause extensive cull in the redwood forest type [40]. Wood rats girdle and strip the bark of redwood seedlings, and can seriously limit redwood regeneration. Where this is a problem, site preparation should include destroying wood rat nesting areas [49]. Redwood is susceptible to damage from soil compaction in areas of heavy foot traffic [4]. Silviculture: The preferred silvicultural system for harvesting redwoods is small clearcuts (30 to 40 acres) [10,41]. Boe [9] provides information on the three silvicultural systems used in the redwood forest type: clearcut, shelterwood, and selection cut. Other: Namkoong and Roberds [39] developed an extinction model for redwood. Their findings reveal there is a small probability of extinction due to natural processes, which can easily be circumvented by planting.

Related categories for Species: Sequoia sempervirens | Redwood

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Information Courtesy: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory. Fire Effects Information System

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