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UK weather more ideal for endangered giant redwoods than in native US

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There are an estimated half a million sequoias – the world’s largest trees – in Britain today, growing at a similar rate to those in California. Recent research has uncovered that this has the potential to tackle climate change by pulling an average of 85 kilograms of carbon from the atmosphere per year.

An estimated half a million endangered sequoias (Sequoiadendron Giganteum) – also known as giant redwoods – are ‘thriving’ in Britain today, compared to just 80,000 in their native home of California.

Living for up to 3,000 years and reaching up to 90 metres in height, they are among the largest trees in the world and are indigenous to the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in America, where increasingly frequent and destructive wildfires are contributing to their rapid decline.

According to recent research by University College London (UCL), damp and drizzly weather in the UK provides the perfect climate for sequoias to flourish.

As a result, they’re growing at a similar rate to those in the US, despite the ecological differences between the two environments.

‘Where they grow in California, it’s cooler and moister than you would typically envisage California to be,’ says Dr Phil Wilkes, one of the study’s authors.

‘And we have a reasonably similar climate here – it’s very wet and they need the moisture to grow.’

UCL’s findings, which were published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, also reveal that the abundance of giant redwoods in Britain has the potential to tackle climate change by pulling an average of 85 kilograms of carbon from the atmosphere annually.

This is because trees soak up and store greenhouse gases and planting more of them can play an integral role in reducing the impacts of rising temperatures.

‘Giant redwoods are some of the most massive organisms on Earth and in their native range make up some of the most carbon-dense forests in the world due to their great age,’ says lead author and geospatial analyst, Ross Holland.

‘We found that UK giant redwoods are well adapted to the UK and able to capture a large amount of carbon dioxide.’

It’s the first time the growth rate and resilience of this coniferous species has been analysed in the UK since they were first imported to the country as seeds and seedlings in 1853.

To assess the adaptability of sequoias to the UK’s mild climate and varied rainfall patterns, the researchers compiled a map, pinpointing the locations of nearly 5,000 individual trees across the country.

Terrestrial laser scanners were used to map them in 3D, allowing the team to accurately measure their height and volume without having to cut them down.

The tallest of the measured sequoias was approximately 54.87m tall – towering over most native UK coniferous species but modest in comparison to its far older American relatives.

This is because the introduced trees are still very young, but there’s plenty of time for them to catch up.

‘Currently, these trees are probably more important for their aesthetic and historical interest than they are for solving the climate crisis,’ says Mathias Disney, another of the study’s authors.

‘But as more are planted we need to know how they will grow.’

In terms of how much CO2 the UK trees are absorbing, the researchers found that due to their sheer size, giant redwoods can lock up large amounts of carbon dioxide in their wood, although levels are currently nowhere as high as in the US and Disney cautions against planting them en masse to tackle greenhouse gas emissions.

‘While trees can of course help a little bit with carbon absorption, it’s a slow process and you need a lot of them,’ he says.

‘You’re better off protecting what’s there already and reducing fossil fuel consumption rapidly now.’

Feature Media Manager & Senior Writer London, UK

Sofia (She/Her) – I’m the Feature Media Manager and a Senior Writer at Thred, specialising in exclusive articles and live interviews, fashion and beauty with a focus on sustainability, women’s rights, psychedelics, and Latin America. I studied Spanish at the University of Exeter and International Journalism at City, London. Follow me on Twitter, LinkedIn, and drop me some ideas/feedback via email.

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