Redwoods
in the Western United States
At one time in the distant past redwood forests covered much of the West Coast. Today two types of redwood trees survive in a narrow band in the Sierra Mountains and along the coast from Tulare County, California, in the south to Curry County, Oregon, in the north. The most dramatic examples of the Seqouiadendron giganteum are found in Sequoia, Kings, and Yosemite Parks. The most dramatic of the Sequoia sempervirens are to be found in the Redwood Empire, but there are many other small isolated groves being preserved throughout the coastal region.
Both the Seqouiadendron giganteumand the Sequuoia sempervirens are called redwoods but you will also hear the term "Big Trees." Generally speaking the Seqouiadendron giganteumare usually the ones that folks call "Big Trees." These giants are the ones found in the Sierra Mountains. They are not as tall as their Seqouia sempervirens cousins along the coast but their trunks are wider and thus they have more mass than the coastal redwood. The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia National Park is classified as the biggest tree in the world. The tallest trees in the world are located in the Tall Tree Grove just outside of Orick, California. (See links below.).
