Tree Study: Wellingtonia (Giant Sequoia)
Browns Landscape Solutions LTD carry out tree work on all shapes and sizes of tree. So it’s only fitting that we blog about some of the largest trees that grow in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The Wellingtonia Redwood AKA Giant Sequoia.
Sequoiadendron Giganteum can grow to 50 meters in height. However, due to polluted air it grows slowly in the UK.
Size & Shape Summary:
They are a unnaturally large evergreen tree when growing in their native California and now is typically the tallest tree in many areas of Great Britain. We are fortunate enough to carry out grounds maintenance at a site in Harpenden where a Wellingtonia resides. They form a striking, narrow tree with a huge tapering trunk which anchors the Giant Sequoia into the ground with a large fluted base.
Redwood - Wellingtonia located in Harpenden, Hertfordshire.
Bark of Wellingtonia:
The bark of a Giant Sequoia is thick, spongy and red in colour. Hence the name, Redwood. You can grab chunks of it and think it will peel off, but it is solid and at one with the tree.
The thick spongy bark often develops deep holes that are used by roosting birds.
The thick, red bark of a Redwood. For scale, the timber fence slats are 150mm (6inch) each. Also you can see the fluted base of the Giant Sequoia.
Branches of Giant Sequoia:
The branches of the Wellingtonia Tree can start several meters into the sky. Especially in a mature tree. The branches nearest the ground tend to be pendulous and droopy and the upper branches are more level. They can have a great girth and some branches will weigh hundreds of kilos.
Leaves of a Wellingtonia:
The leaves of the Sequoiadendron Giganteum are scale like, evergreen and fir-like in appearance. They have an aniseed scent when they are crushed. When the Redwood grows it sheds old leaves which can make a great, thick layer of dry debris at the base of the tree.
The Giant Sequoia Redwood branches can be seen here growing in a pendulous fashion and then straightening up as you head up the tree trunk.
Reproductive Parts:
The Redwood produces flowers. The male cones are small, yellow and sometimes abundant at the tips of the shoots. They release pollen in spring time. The female cones are solitary or sometimes paired and oval in shape. They can be 8cm long and 5cm in diameter when they are ripe.
Distribution:
The Giant Sequoia is a native tree of the Sierra Nevada in California where it grows in groves and on the western slopes of the mountains. It was first discovered in 1852 and it was soon introduced into the UK where it thrives best in the west of the country.
Our Case Study:
Our Wellingtonia in Harpenden has had some storm damage from many years ago. Where the storm ripped the top from the tree, the Sequoia has sent up two main stems which are now co-dominant. It is healthy and appears to have a productive crown which sheds plenty of old leaves and cones. One concern is the proximity of the tree to an occupied house less than 4 meters away.
Here you can see the 2 main stems that have sprouted from when the Giant Sequoia sustained damage from a storm or lightening strike. You can also see how close the tree is to the building.
If you require a tree survey, aerial inspection or tree surgery on your tree in the local Harpenden, Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable, Flitwick, Milton Keynes area. Please contact us. Browns Landscape Solutions LTD.
Daniel: 07789550983
Email: Info@brownslandscapes.com
