Redwoods

[JD_Kid]

Hi ya's
there has been some talk on redwoods in NZ ,what can ya's tell me about them IE where to grow ,how to prune etc etc from what i can pick up they do grow faster here in NZ but with being faster growing there wood is softer .Also what is the wood used for ?where i live we get alot of sea fog  cool winters and mild summers pines and and other trees from that in the USA have growen well here the biggest thing maybe salt air
catch ya
JD Kid

[Tillaway]

JD
Egads you guys want to grow those too. ;)  Their native range is the coastal fog belt from the very edge of the southern Oregon Coast to about 200 or 300kms south of San- Francisco on the California coast.

They will grow just about anywhere you plant them although they are not grown for timber production outside of their native range here.  You need deep well drained soils and considerable moisture for them to grow well.  They grow very fast... in fact a little too fast, it sounds like you may be in a good environment for them. They will grow an inch in diameter and 3 to 4 feet in hieght every year if well spaced.  The limbs have a tendency to get quite large so pruning would be beneficial although pruning is generally not done here as well.  They are very hard to kill in fact most regeneration is from sprouts off the stumps and root crown.  They need lots of sun light to get established but will live nearly forever suppressed under a canopy.
The wood is used primarily for outdoor exposier such as decks, siding, fencing, shakes, hot tubs, patio furniture and the like.  It is soft and has a tendancy to be brittle and also splits easily.  The white sapwood will decay quickly but the red heartwood is very very rot and insect resistent.  A downed old growth log will still be good hundreds of years after it hits the ground.  It was used for structural framing in the region it grows because it is so common but other species are better for this.

[Jeff]

Till,

In the woods at the old farm where I hunt, we had a big die off of the big red oaks due to Gypsy Moths. The last 8 or 10 years the roots rotted away and the trees have mostly toppled over. Walking out there now is like a maze. Many are 30" and up in diameter, so you have to go around them.

I can't imagine walking in a forest where you have redwooods that have fallen. It must be like walking up to a wall, and to go around must make it quite a hike to go anywhere. Are there places where you can see this sort of thing?

[Tillaway]

Hey Jeff

I've had the opprotunity to cruise for the appraisal of the Headwaters forest during the exchange from Palco to BLM.
Trying to crawl over one of these blow downs is a real chore.  I was carrying a single bit axe and would drive the axe in parallel to the trunk and use it for a step.  The fun part was once you get on top; reaching back down to try and get the axe without falling off.  Once on top you would have to walk up and down looking for a good place to get crawl off.  You also needed redwood corks in your boots.  The bark is kind of lose and stringy so the extra length helped as you scrambled to the top.  If you try to cross a log while walking up hill you sometimes have to climb up a tree next to it or go for a long walk around.

There is still lots of these to see.  There is the Redwoods National Park as well as numerous state parks through out the area.  To get the full effect try walking a straight compass line through them instead of walking down the trail. ;)

[JD_Kid]

Hi ya
yep if there's a $$$ in it the kiwis look into anything ;).that aside we have about 2000 acres of farm land with alot of rocky outcrops ,not hard rock just big rocks that are a pain in the @$$ so these areas can be fenced off and planted ,more for animal shelter and some as wind brakes ,i will plant some pines but other types of trees i need to find out more info maybe some Ozzy gum's etc etc end of the day trees that looked after will keep all the buildings in good nick , gates and rails in stock yards ,and a renewable heating sourse .
catch ya
JD Kid

[Ironwood]

I recently visited the Coastal Redwoods of northern Ca. Awe inspiring. Stopped along the road and saw these signs showing "high water mark". we were well above the creeks and Eel River and the darn mark was 25' in the air. I thought no way.... like "air mail" boxes out in the country, a joke! Come to find out that in fact HUGE FLOOD in 1964 washedout almost every bridge for counties around. Absolutely amazing to see the video footage at the PALCO LUMBER MUSEUM. showed the devastation. A must see if you are anywhere near that area. Now one of my burl suppliers is digging up the root burl and parts of the trees from the Eel River rock shoals. They call it water cured redwood. silvery to black and obviously huge pieces. Had two shipped in for a desk top, completely filled the back of my 8'x12' one ton truck (they were stacked one on top the other, not side by side!!!) incredible dormit bud and curly grain.