Marge and I and our three boys lived in Marin County in Northern California from 1978 to 1982. Our home in what was then the relatively small town of Novato was not more than an hour from some wonderful redwood groves.
If you would like to be amazed at these amazing creatures from the hand of God—and challenged in area of our creation stewardship responsibility, spend some time watching the video found at the link below.
See you outdoors!
Dean
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/richard_preston_on_the_giant_trees.html
January 29th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
Thank you Dean for the film. My father and 2 uncles lived in Eureka, California. They worked as loggers in he Red Woods during the 30′s. I have pictures of them as they worked at cutting these giants down.
Here inm West Virginia where I live once was an ancient hardwood and hemlock forest that was cleared out as well from the turn of the century up to the 1930′s A forwst fire in the 30′s caused from small logging trains burned for 3 months and finally burned out at the eastern front of the Alleghanies.
Some of the oak trees were 17 feet in diameter 10 feet up from the base. Pictures and stories are found in a book titled “Din in the Mountains”
Nothing remains of that ancient forest, as timbering has continued to take smaller and smaller timber, leaving only brush and saplings behind.
Steve
January 30th, 2009 at 9:47 am
My Great Grandfather was one of the loggers of the 1880′s here in WV. One of the sad stories I remember my dad telling me was that his grandad though that his grandchildren would never live long enough to see that giant forest that existed here cut down. He like so many others thought it impossible for such a forrest to be cleared out in so few of years. He lived long enough to see it’s demise.
It was I am affraid the pioneer spirit that believed there was no end to the abunance of resorces here in the America’s.
We must do better.
January 30th, 2009 at 10:03 am
I too say thanks for the link to the video. I’ve never seen a redwood, but just from the video, what an amazing creation. Not sure if I want to spend the night in a tree boat though.
Steve, it seems that clear cutting was the norm 150 years ago. No thought at all about what would be the results of all that “now” thinking. Only 4% of the redwoods remain. They tried to clear cut the Great Smokey Mountains too, and finally people like Carl Schenck, George Vanderbilt, and others with the help of President Teddy Roosevelt saw the trouble ahead and began reserving forest lands, and finally creating the US Forest Service to oversee forest management.
And as the video showed, the Eastern Hemlock is in perilous trouble from the Wooly Adelgid which is killing off trees at a scary rate. There are folks working hard to combat these non-native pests, but it is an up-hill battle.
All good reasons for this blog, to help us consider how we can do our stewardship of creation.
January 31st, 2009 at 2:34 pm
Thanks so much for this. I am so terribly sorry to hear of the plight of the Eastern Hemlocks. I wonder what can be done, and if there are scientists who are working on this.
Yes, I heard about the wondrous discovery of the garden biosphere found at the top of the Redwoods. How fascinating. And the wonderful way the original climbers concocted in knowing how to climb these magnificent trees without harming them. Wonderful to see and hear this. Thanks.