The Old Growth Redwood Forest is an ancient forest where 1000 year old trees form a canopy over a mixture of hardwood trees, shrubs, and ferns. You will see randomly fallen trees which nurse new life on the forest floor such as hemlock trees, huckleberries, and ferns sprouting among the decaying trunks and branches. New trees often sprout if the original is damaged or cut down. The thick fibrous bark of the Redwood which lacks resin can be several inches thick which protects the tree from fire damage. Numerous fires can eventually weaken the bark thus allowing fire to burn through to the innermost wood and cause the base to become hollow.
Some of the unusual growths on a dead tree are called shelf fungus which work to decompose or breakdown material to provide nourishment for the surrounding plants. Isn't Mother Nature incredible???
Here's an interesting fact: The Redwoods which can be up to 350 feet tall have very shallow roots. The reason is that there is plentiful water close to the ground surface and since water is readily available, these Redwoods do not need a deep root system. These shallow roots, though, make the trees vulnerable to high winds and floods. But the good news is that their roots can spread hundreds of feet from the tree and join with roots from neighboring trees creating a web for extra support. You've got to hand it to Mother Nature again.
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