Concealing the 800-Year-Old Redwood Tree Trying: How Officials at California’s Redwood National Park Did It; Visitors Caught Could Face Jail Time

The tallest tree in the world must be difficult to conceal. But since 2006, staff members at California's Redwood National Park have been attempting just that.

The 380-foot redwood tree is currently prohibited.

The park warned visitors last week that visiting the old tree may result in a $5,000 fine and a six-month prison sentence.

Making redwood invisible

(Photo : Billy Huynh/Unsplash)

The park protected the tree by keeping its location a secret for 16 years. They were worried that too many people would harm both the sight and the sensitive ecosystem of the hills in the area.

Leonel Arguello, the park's director of natural resources, said: "People have the right to come and enjoy their parks," as per Yahoo News.

However, visitor security and resource preservation are the park's main concerns. Park authorities must take action to defend against such things when they detect possible damage.

Sequoia sempervirens, a kind of coast redwood, are thought to be 600-800 years old.

It is deep in the park and has no routes leading to it; yet, because of its online reputation, thrill-seekers, travel bloggers, and tree aficionados frequently visit Hyperion, named for the Greek Titan god of celestial light.

The immensity and mystery of Hyperion captivated people. It has been the focus of several Reddit discussions over the years.

According to the statement, because of Hyperion's off-trail position, hikers must navigate dense undergrowth and bushwhack in order to get there.

This harms the ecosystem permanently. People trample the area around the tree, leave garbage and human waste, and make auxiliary routes.

Some even attempted to climb Hyperion or bring drones. The base of the tree deteriorates as a result, and there is an unnatural absence of flora there.

Arguello remarked, "It's just wild country. And because there are no facilities nearby, human waste and rubbish are left behind in addition to the harm to the plants."

Nowhere else in the world do redwood trees grow as they do on the coast from Big Sur to the California-Oregon border.

They have been around for more than 200 million years and have a lifespan of more than a thousand years.

According to Joanna Nelson, director of conservation planning at Save the Redwoods League, we have lost 95% of our old-growth redwoods.

There are now only 5% of them left that haven't been professionally logged. Redwood National Park is where you may find over half of them.

Nelson claimed that because redwoods inherently resist decay and pests, businesses frequently chop them down to construct fences and decks.

Redwoods in the national park are protected against logging, but it is considerably more difficult to stop enthusiastic hikers from stomping. Their foot movement may cause soil compaction, which might harm the tree's roots.

With the closure, Arguello and the park's caretakers intend to lessen that impact and enable the region to start recovering naturally.

Additionally, according to park officials, Hyperion does not live up to its reputation and is not the area's most spectacular tree.

Compared to other old redwood trees, the trunk is tiny, making it hard to gauge its height from the ground.

Also Read: California Redwood Relocation: Earth's Largest Trees Shift Northward With Climate Change

Redwoods

The bark and heartwood of redwoods, which are reddish-brown due to high tannin levels, are what give them their common name, as per Save the Redwoods.

These trees have a remarkable resilience to fungus and insect infestation because of additional compounds present in their leaves, branches, and bark.

They are shielded from recurring, unavoidable fires by the thick, water-holding bark of their trees.

The three redwood species that make up Coast Redwoods, Giant Sequoias, and China's Dawn Redwoods are all descended from a genus of conifers (trees that grow cones) that flourished more than 144 million years ago when dinosaurs ruled the planet.

Redwood trees grew across North America, Europe, and Asia during that period because the environment was warmer and more humid than it is now.

It's critical to keep in mind that redwoods are more than simply trees; they are a component of intricate communities of living creatures that interact with their surroundings.

Redwoods are supported by and rely on various environments.

Over 90% of the giant sequoia woods are preserved in national parks and forests, while about 82% of the surviving old coast redwood forests are housed in parks and reserves.

To guarantee that future generations may enjoy these gorgeous woods, more effort has to be done.

There are still historic redwoods that are going to be chopped down and they need to be conserved.

Threats to redwood forests that are currently protected in state and national parks include catastrophic government budget cuts.