How safe is a Redwood Tree?

Knowing what I know about the differences between a Sta. Cruz Mountain’s Redwood Tree that is native and an urban environment Redwood Tree that is planted in somebody’s yard, I have ask myself a question, how safe is a Redwood Tree. We have removed hundreds of Redwood Trees over the years, usually for good reason with anything from lifting foundations to causing sewer damage. An extremely fast growing tree, they get very, very large. Consistently, I find at the base of the tree when we cut them down, there is usually decay. Now, I have to ask myself why are these trees so often rotten at base, at the very center of tree? Well, I have concluded that there is a big difference between a native Redwood Tree that grows in a dense forest and a tree that is out in the open with no competition. Frankly, the Redwood Tree in the urban environment just grows too fast. It seems that a slow growing Redwood Tree is very durable and very decay resistant. And it is absolutely the opposite on a tree that is taken out of its native environment. These trees sometimes grow 4 to 5 feet in diameter over the course of 30 to 50 years. This particular tree was 4 ½ feet and it was only 35 years old. And I have to question another thing about Redwood Trees, how many of these urban giants that are 30 to say even a 100 years old living down in this valley, how many of them are structurally unsound and hollow? Redwood Trees have long been known for their decay resistance and that is why they have been used for exterior applications. In this case, this tree was riddled with termites. I also have to ask myself how far underground does this decay extend? Does it spread out into the root system by the roots becoming weaker with age or is there enough stability remaining on the tree to sustain it? These are all big questions. Maybe we need to rethink these trees. We give them such a reverence because of what they are. A Redwood Tree is known to live for thousands of years, but in an urban environment, it is entirely different type of situation. They grow extremely fast and cause more damage than often times their worth. I have often attempted to mill up urban Redwood Trees and I have milled up a considerable number of them. Several hundred of them actually and consistently across the board, I find that the wide growth rings creates poor quality lumber as well as the decay pockets especially near the base leads to wood that is not very satisfactory. So frankly, I believe that we are giving these trees a special consideration for what we know them to be in the wild and in the urban environment. I think we have to look twice at these trees and possibly reconsider. Thanks for taking the time to view this brief presentation. My name is Blair Glenn, I am an ISA’s certified Arborist.