Around half a million giant sequoia and closely related coastal redwoods are growing in the UK, compared to just 80,000 still growing in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains.
The enormous trees, which can grow up to around 300 feet (90 metres) tall over their 3,000-year lives, grow at similar rates in the UK to those in their native California range, despite the ecological and climactic differences between the two environments, scientists have found, and can also capture large amounts of carbon.
Researchers “weighed” study specimens using 3D terrestrial laser scanning to make detailed structural measurements of the trees to capture their above-ground biomass.
Calculating their growth rate was made simpler by the fact that many of the specimens’ ages are known, as the trees were first imported to the UK as seeds and seedlings in 1853.
Seen as a symbol of wealth to Victorians, they were often planted at the entrance to large houses and estates, and in avenues, churchyards and parks.
The team put together the first dedicated map of giant sequoias in the UK, showing the location of nearly 5,000 known trees.
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