Wood Materials

Redwood - Trees and Environment

These trees are truly giants; averaging 8 feet in diameter and reaching as much as 20 feet in diameter, some are as tall as 375 feet tall. That is taller than the statue of liberty. Redwood trees are absolutely the largest living thing on Earth. Some old growth redwood trees are over 1000 years old. Native to the moist foggy coast of the Pacific Northwest, Redwood trees are legendary for their size and the quality of softwood they provide. Because of past exploitation and abusive logging practices such as clear-cut forests Redwood building materials still carry the stigma of an environmental tragedy. There are only 1.74 million acres of Redwood forests left. Today strict logging restrictions have been enacted to protect Old Growth stands and specimen trees for scientific research. More than 95% of the remaining Ancient Redwood forests are protected from harvesting. There are over 250,000 acres of protected redwood forests in our State and National Park System. Law now requires that companies owning more than 50,000 commercial acres of Redwood forests are required to prepare a sustained yield plan. These plans must plan for an equal balance of growth and harvest over a 100-year period to achieve sustainability. Many strides have been made to protect what is left. The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) now independently certifies four out of every five acres of commercial redwood forest.