The Redwood Connection

What does this year’s Fingle felling programme have in common with a nineteenth century conservationist, a wealthy heiress and Dartmoor National Park?Deep in Hall’s Cleave in the central plot of Fingle Woods, stands a collection of some of the tallest timber trees in the Teign Valley and this year it is their turn for a bit of selective thinning. It’s approaching 60 years since they were planted, back in 1959, and these trees may be large by Dartmoor standards but back home in California is where they can become true giants. The Coast Redwood (or California Redwood) originates from the west coast of California where the climate is somewhat similar to Dartmoor. Ample rain and regular fog suit the “everlasting” Sequoia sempervirens down to the ground and, if conditions are right, they have the potential to grow into some of the tallest and longest-lived organisms on Earth. They are known to live well in excess of 1000 years and have been recorded at over 100m with a 9m girth.

While the legacy of John Muir and the Elmhirsts lives on at Fingle Woods as a place to work, to explore and to learn, a number of community groups and schools will be doing their bit to discover wild places as they set out to achieve a John Muir Award later this year. And in years to come we may wonder, in the damp conditions next to the stream in Hall’s Cleave, will any of the redwoods reach maturity? Will the timber giants outlive all of us? Will the redwoods stay firmly rooted in place, standing like sentries for future centuries?by Matt Parkinsimages: Paul Moody, Matt Parkins and Wikimedia Commons