Grove of Old Trees

I’ve always been drawn to old trees. We live on the edge of a redwood forest (Sequoia sempervirens), an ancient species that still dominates the coast of Northern California, despite relentless logging over the past 150 years. We have about 60 second growth redwood trees on our property, some already reaching a height exceeding 200 feet. Most of the trees around us are second growth, but I’ve heard of a few stands of old growth trees still in tact. The majority of these are inaccessible to the public, part of the exclusive Bohemian Grove in nearby Monte Rio. Rumors of their being recently logged have been confirmed in a recent expose by Alex Shoumatoff in Vanity Fair (May 2009).

charred hollow

I recently discovered the Grove of Old Trees, a serene stand of old growth Coast Redwood within biking distance of our compound. The Grove is open to the public, under the diligent stewardship of the non-profit group LandPaths, and has become one of my favorite destinations for a rejuvenating day trip.

I’d like to make a catalog of Old Trees on these pages, and invite readers to send images of any beauties in your neck of the woods. Over the coming months, I will build a database to upload and access images and information on the PARTICIPATE page of this site. Meanwhile, if you send images (saved at 72 dpi, 500 x 375 pixels) and related information to me at scott@deepcraft.org, I will post them on my weblog. Please include species, location and any relevant narrative. Thanks!