Growing up with Redwood's. Truely God's country.

[2dogs]

I think you guys might be mixing up your trees. There 3 trees called redwoods, the Dawn Redwood which is native only to Communist China (Though often found as nursery stock), the Coast Redwood, and the Giant Sequoia.

The Giant Sequoia lives in a very narrow range in the Sierra Nevada mountains in grantic soil. There was only 35,000 acres of these giant trees. They will grow over 300' tall and up to 56' in diameter. The bark can be up to 3' thick. They are a very poor lumber tree, most were wasted due to breakage. I believe all remaining trees are on public land. They can live 3,500 years.

The real redwoods, the Coast Redwood or Sequoia Sempervirens, occupied over 2 million acres, grow 380' tall and have bark up to 1' thick. I often work in the southernmost grove in southern Monterey County near Big Sur. They grow along the coast up into southern Oregon. They can live 2,200 years. I break these tree into two groups, Old Growth and Second Growth. The OG lumber was and still is fantastic wood. It is dense and tight grained and very resistant to rot and insects. SG wood is crap. It is more like Giant Sequoia, loose grained and not resistant to decay. Yes on occasion some really nice second grove is logged but around here that is generally not the case.

The Giant Sequoia is generally thought of the a massive tree, and it is. However only 7 GSs are larger than the largest CRs! The largest CR grows in northern California where its location is kept secret. (The National Tree Agency, NTA, has heard of RandyMac!)

This a pic of a GS my friend Andy (and I) milled last year. It was about 7' at the butt and 100 years old IIRC.

Here is that same tree, look at the grain.

Some CR shots

 

[2dogs]

A few more. Note the heart rot, aka Brown Cubicle Rot.

An example of a horrible second growth Coastal Redwood. IIRC there were 7 trees growing off this OG stump. We milled the lumber on site but it was an embarrassingly small pile of decent lumber that was left.

Nice goosepenned staub that I had to fall after a fire.

 

[RandyMac]

Yeah, the Monarch and it's not lost, it was hidden. I saw it well before it was "discovered" by publicity seeking adventurers. There are many good reasons why locals keep such treasures secret, they are often desecrated by those who follow the "Discoverers".

 

[2dogs]

The question I have to ask is how on earth did two men drop it by themselves and how was it ever bucked into mammoth logs, loaded onto a train, and finally cleared from the forest?

Look for the book "They Felled the Redwoods" on ebay or Amazon. It has great info on logging OG Giant Sequoias. Basically they used a huge amount of steam power and outsized equipment. Many of the tree were to big to transport so augers and explosives were used to split the logs in half.

 

[2dogs]

Yeah, the Monarch and it's not lost, it was hidden. I saw it well before it was "discovered" by publicity seeking adventurers. There are many good reasons why locals keep such treasures secret, they are often desecrated by those who follow the "Discoverers".

Yep I have been involved in that exact experience.

 

[RandyMac]

BOOM!
Grape stakes.

 

[2dogs]

I like most all aspects of the timber industry and tree work but in my opinion...there is nothing like the smell of redwood sawdust to get me excited. (About trees!)

 

[homelitejim]

I grew up in western Nevada, not far from Bishop, CA. I remember as a kid my grandparents taking us to see the Red Woods, can still picture the trees in my head. I have also seen the Giant Sequoias in the Sierra's and the Bristlecone Pine trees near White Mt, of course the Bristlecone Pine trees are not known for their size but their age and are partially petrified.

 

[2dogs]

I grew up in western Nevada, not far from Bishop, CA. I remember as a kid my grandparents taking us to see the Red Woods, can still picture the trees in my head. I have also seen the Giant Sequoias in the Sierra's and the Bristlecone Pine trees near White Mt, of course the Bristlecone Pine trees are not known for their size but their age and are partially petrified.

Some of those trees are nearly 5,000 years old!

 

[Bob95065]

Frank, Where in the Santa Cruz mountains are you?



I live down in Santa Cruz and one of my favorite places in the county is Big Basin State Park. It is the first state park in California and full of big trees. I am sure Frank and any others from Santa Cruz have been there. It is a great place for a hike.

I have a friend up in Bonny Doon that has a stand of trees that are all over 6' in diameter. He and his wife were married on the property in that stand. I was in there last weekend and at 6'5" I felt really, really small.

I don't burn redwood or mill it. I go after hardwood like oaks, madrones and eucalyptus, mostly blow-downs and nusance trees. I have seen old pictures like those in this post and wonder what it must have been like for loggers of long ago to bring down the old growth monsters with handsaws.

 

[NORMZILLA44]

Nice! I like all the response's, and awesome pic's. There are a few good grove's around my neck of the wood's. I also love some of the stand alone outlaw's I have found. I found one on Bohan dillion rd, in Cazadero. I was installing culvert's for county road's, and took a stroll down to the creek. It has some gearth to it, but the top blew out. There are a couple biggin's on fitzpatrick lane, near occidental. And one stand alone giant down the road further but off another road. While heading for the small town of Bodega, you look to the right, and see it on a ridge towering above all the rest. It dwarf's them those are on private property, love to have one in my yard. There are still some good one's in Annapolis, heade toward stewart's point on the coast. One of the county bosse's grew up there, and told me of a lone tree, that took either 17, or 22 guy's linking arm's to get around it. I forget exactly, but a monster, and it is still there. Haven't made it yet, but I will. Armstrong wood's in guerneville has some big beautifull one's still. Randy awesome pic's, and that is the most word's I think I have seen you post. I sent you a REP, thank's my friend, and to all the replie's from everyone!

 

[RandyMac]

Thanks Norm, but those who know me, know what a wordy sumbeach I can be.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

My love, and fascination of Redwood's,and tree's started when I was a little boy. It is now like an addiction. I have spent countless hour's, hiking, while hunting, and just staring at big redwood's in amzement. Easily getting sidetracked. I have read every book I can get my hand's on, about logging, or just redwood tree's, and pic's. I have also spent time driving around, and hiking just trying to find a big one. Alot of time's being there for some other reason, and stumbling upon one or a few by accident. I have never fallen a ol growth, it would be a lifetime experience, so I have thought, but truel'y don't want to or think I would have the heart to. As much as I love the logging book's, and my hat's is off to the guy's who earned there stripe's doing so. It make's me proud to know a few,and share wonderfull storie's, and picture's. I think for me it was life altering, and I wouldn't have grown up the same elsewhere. I never get tire'd of them, and Jeanie, and I while out for a drive with the dog's, have made numerous stop's to look over a awesome giant. For anybody who has never been in Redwood country it is really worth the trip for you, to see the piece's of history, and time that has revolved around them. I am glad some time ago some wonderfull people, realized we neede'd to preserve some. If not I wouldn't have grown up in the same country, and wouldn't have had so many wonderfull experience's

If I could go back 25 years, I'd move to redwood country. For now, I manage to get down there about every 6 to 8 weeks for 3 days at a time.

From this last week ... the big one was 600 feet elevation above Redwood Creek's level, but up another tributary, and like 700 feet from any brook. A giant among the hills. And not the only one.

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[2dogs]

Frank, Where in the Santa Cruz mountains are you?



I live down in Santa Cruz and one of my favorite places in the county is Big Basin State Park. It is the first state park in California and full of big trees. I am sure Frank and any others from Santa Cruz have been there. It is a great place for a hike.

I have a friend up in Bonny Doon that has a stand of trees that are all over 6' in diameter. He and his wife were married on the property in that stand. I was in there last weekend and at 6'5" I felt really, really small.

I don't burn redwood or mill it. I go after hardwood like oaks, madrones and eucalyptus, mostly blow-downs and nusance trees. I have seen old pictures like those in this post and wonder what it must have been like for loggers of long ago to bring down the old growth monsters with handsaws.

I'm pretty sure Frank lives in Boulder Creek or up Hwy 9 from there. That is at least 4 AS members living in Santa Cruz county. Stihl Kickin works here and lives here 5 nights a week but calls Westpoint home. I live off Walnut Av. and am a second-and-a-half generation Santa Cruzan.

 

[2dogs]

If I could go back 25 years, I'd move to redwood country. For now, I manage to get down there about every 6 to 8 weeks for 3 days at a time.

From this last week ... the big one was 600 feet elevation above Redwood Creek's level, but up another tributary, and like 700 feet from any brook. A giant among the hills. And not the only one.

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I have your website and the article on your cargo trailer conversion in my favorites file. Your photography skills are amazing.

 

[NORMZILLA44]

M.D Vaden, Awesome, and thank's for the pic's!:msp_thumbup: Randy wordy SOB or not REP'd you just the same! P.S That one pic 1973, the year I was born little buddy. You are definately a veteran.:msp_thumbup:

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I have your website and the article on your cargo trailer conversion in my favorites file. Your photography skills are amazing.

Thank you. BTW - the cargo trailer page seems to be really popular at night. I was staying at a Crescent City motel some months ago, and the owner there said he was web surfing for cargo trailer conversions too, and stumbled on that one. Here's one more pic from this last week. I like old stuff, not completely claimed by the forest again. This is a section of the very old coast Highway 101 in Prairie Creek redwoods. A section raised over a boggy area. Drury Parkway in the park, replaced this, long before the present day Hy. 101 bypassed the parkway uphill from the park, over the summit.

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[Frank Boyer]

M. D. Vaden,
You post some amazing pictures of very large trees. What camera/lens are you shooting?
Frank
2Dogs,
I do live out of Boulder Creek. Where on Glenwood are the large trees? I haven't been on Glenwood in 10 years or so. A friend developed the Glenwood Acres area and I was over there a lot in the late 70's and early 80's.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

M. D. Vaden,
You post some amazing pictures of very large trees. What camera/lens are you shooting?
Frank
2Dogs,
I do live out of Boulder Creek. Where on Glenwood are the large trees? I haven't been on Glenwood in 10 years or so. A friend developed the Glenwood Acres area and I was over there a lot in the late 70's and early 80's.

I'm using two cameras mainly.

Canon SX10 IS (big point & shoot) with 20 x optical zoom. Latest models are SX30 w/ 30 x optical.

Canon T2i (Rebel EOS) / 550D w/ Canon 18-55mm & Tokina 11-16mm UWA. The T3i is the latest model. Also using a Canon 70-300mm for some flower shots and distant stuff.

Both cameras capture print-worthy photos. This is my fave from 2011 so far. It really looks better beyond the 11 x 14 size, especially 16 x 20 when the details grow.

I would like to get a Tokina 11-16mm too. Should be better yet in the understory.

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[dave k]

AS member CHEVYTOWN posted a great link to a 9min film showing the start of felling, building the railway in ,right to the finish of milling it was a great film wonder if his posts are still in the system ?
Thanks for all the great pics fellas, I wish I could take a picture as well as Mr Vaden !!