Giant sequoias thriving in UK and could grow as tall as California’s, study finds

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Giant sequoia timber, imported to the UK 160 years in the past, are flourishing regardless of the dramatically totally different local weather to their native California, a brand new study has discovered.

The big timber, that are declining in numbers in California on account of rising warmth, at the moment are adapting effectively to the UK’s local weather and rising taller, a study performed by UCL researchers says.

“The growth here in the UK seems to be suited to our wetter climate, so there’s far less chance of water stress here than in the Sierras in California,” lead creator of the study and professor of geogrpahy, Mat Disney, advised The Independent.

Giant sequoias are considered one of planet Earth’s largest and longest-living timber. Their giant trunks and in depth foliage imply they’ll doubtlessly take up a mean of 85kg of carbon per 12 months in their 3,000-year-long life, greater than many different tree species.

Researchers mapped practically 5,000 particular person timber in the UK and discovered that these giants grow effectively in the nation, offering a chance for his or her use in planning for extra carbon sequestration in the forests.

This is the primary time the timber’ progress price and resilience in the UK have been analysed by way of the study printed in Royal Society Open Science on Tuesday.

The study used terrestrial laser scanners to create 3D fashions of the timber, precisely measuring their heights and volumes with out inflicting hurt.

“We found that UK redwoods are well adapted to the UK and able to capture a large amount of carbon dioxide,” lead creator of the study, Ross Holland, from UCL, stated.

“We hope that these findings can help guide decisions on future tree planting and management.”

Although the tallest UK sequoia measured about 180ft, smaller than their American counterparts which may grow as much as 300ft tall, the researchers say it reveals how effectively they’re adapting.

“They are pretty big by UK standards,” Dr Disney stated, “but not by Californian standards.”

“But they are still very very young for giant sequoia, and so if they survive the next couple of hundred years, they will become much taller.”

Dr Disney recommended that the timber could theoretically develop into as tall as these in their native US – however that those in the UK will face some severe hurdles in doing so as a result of they don’t have the identical energy in numbers as their Californian cousins.

“It’s unlikely they will reach the heights of the California giants though because the taller they get, the more they tend to stick out in the landscape compared to their surroundings, and hence the more prone they are to lightning strikes and wind damage,” he stated.

Despite their endangered standing in native California vary, the place lower than 80,000 big sequoias stay, the UK is house to an estimated half one million redwoods.

Their numbers are rising partly on account of their public enchantment and their environmental advantages as folks plant these giants to offset their carbon emissions.

“Currently, these trees are probably more important for their aesthetic and historical interest than they are for solving the climate crisis,” Dr Disney stated.

“But as more are planted we need to know how they will grow.”

Researchers stress that whereas lowering carbon emissions is essential, dense forests made up of timber like Giant sequoias also can play a job in combating off the local weather disaster.