The UK we know today is an amalgamation of hundreds of different cultures, languages, cuisines, and people who have come together across hundreds of years. We’re lucky enough to be a diverse bunch on this island – and our trees are no different.
Giant redwoods (also known as giant sequoia), which first moved here in the nineteenth century, are apparently loving it. They’re loving the UK so much, in fact, that experts reckon they’re even better suited to the weather here than in their native California. At least someone’s enjoying all the rain, eh?
The trees can grow up to 90 metres in height, but since our ones are pretty much babies they’re currently only around 50m tall. Yes, they are 160 years old, and no, that wasn’t a typo. The trees are still in their infancy in terms of the lifespan of a redwood, which can stretch to nearly 2000 years.
Recently researchers have been using specially made scanners to check in on the trees without having to cut them down. According to one study of the trees from the botanic gardens at Kew, they’re doing pretty well on this side of the pond. In fact, we now have more than five times the Redwood population of California, with nearly 500,000 to their measly 80,000.
Dr Phil Wilkes, who has been working on the study, told the BBC: ‘Where they grow in California, it’s cooler and moister than you would typically envisage California to be… we have a reasonably similar climate here – it’s very wet and they need the moisture to grow.’
The trees will continue to be planted in the UK, as climate change means their homeland in the US is becoming less suitable. They can be seen across the country, and hopefully sometime soon we’ll also have trees as tall as (small) skyscrapers.
Love the natural world?
Of course you do – and you’re in the right place to find out more about it at Time Out. Giant redwoods aren’t the only trees making headlines, check out these 400 million year old fossils found in Somerset. We have guides to Britain’s best underrated beaches, the best UK campsites to enjoy a springtime dose of the outdoors in, our favourite wild swimming locations, and a complete roundup of the best hikes this island has to offer.
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