In the U.K there are more giant redwoods than in the whole of California courtesy of victorians love for growing what they considered exotic or special trees.
Wow, two survivors. That is fantastic to hear. Yours have 36 more years of growth time! Amazing! Even more adapted and taller perhaps . Thank you for sharing !
@@BenOrvis 90 to 100 feet. This area is not the ideal place for them to grow. I have tulip poplars that are native and are a lot taller. Probably 100 years older
The weather along this section of Michigan is close to the northern California coast. I learned about these trees app.20 years ago. Even as a kid,I often wondered why these or even redwood trees, would not grow or thrive in the climatic conditions here in Michigan. Glad to see this tree is doing well.
Hi! You’re right 😊 There are some coastal similarities there…maybe even soil preferences?? Either way, this tree is really rockin’ in that Michigan climate! 🙂
I doubt that, I grew up 3 blocks from the beach in far northern California, I saw snow twice, once we got an inch and 15 years later we got 3 inches. The first time it was gone by lunch and the second time it was gone the next day. Where the giant sequoia live in the sierras the winters are probably a lot more brutal than in MI. The closest I ever got to living in Michigan was college in Ohio. My hometown will get into the 30s at night in the winter sometimes, but frost is not that common, also rarely ever gets over 70 in the day in summer. Of course that is right on the beach, go inland into the mountains not 20 miles away and you get some wintry weather at elevation. The coast redwood would not do that well in MI because they can absorb water through their leaves, so the daily fogs off the Pacific more than half the days of summer are as good as rain to them. Also, they cannot tolerate serpentine soils which are common where you are.
@@bluebook709 ..plenty of fog & rain here. 3 trees out of 6 growing( from seedlings). One at present is over 100' tall. I think they are doing fine in their location. The soil is a sand loam. The state is monitoring them.
My son brought me home a seedling when he visited Cali a few years back. So far I have transplanted it twice and it is about a foot tall and filling out, and even hardening. I have been bringing it in in the harsh Michigan winters, keeping it in a sunny spot and carefully tending to it. I plan on planting it outdoors when it is around five years old. I Will never get to see it in all (or any) of it's majesty, but I hope a future generation will appreciate it as much as I do.
Thank You !, I too spent my first 30 winters in Lenawee county, married & moved to Tx with a job. Now retired I’m learning more & more about my homeland. Great history lesson too ❤️
I’d love to see them. I spent 13 years in upstate NY and there are some incredible pines and hemlocks up there as well! Usually in the places that were too difficult to harvest.
@@BenOrvis The Hartwick Pines near Grayling, MI are the biggest trees in Michigan. The Porcupine Mountains in the western Upper Peninsula has a vast virgin hemlock forest.
Amazing! I love these trees I’ve germinated them in both Australia and now in BC Canada the last 2 years. I’m about to plant 30 two year old seedling at my friend’s property this spring.
Born, raised, explored, and lived in Michigan my entire life and I've NEVER heard of this. Looks like I'm taking another venture up to Manistee. Thanks for the info.
Hi Ben, great video! Thanks for the information. I'm a lifelong Michigander, and now will be going to meet these thriving west coast titans next month, on my way to the U.P.!! Excited about the unsuspected detour... awesome, have a great day!! -Todd =)
I am an arborist. I have a deep love for trees. I’ve studied them from the far reaches of the Pacific Hawaiian islands, the East Coast ,Midwest and also those in mention, the great sequoia‘s of California and Nevada. I had no idea the treasure that exists in manatees Michigan. I am beside myself with joy and wonder. I now have a reason to visit that area of the state I now reside. Thank you for the wonderful journey through time and history. Yes , Mr. and Mrs. Gray are to forever be commended for their selfless act of spreading the precious tree’s from so far away back in 1946. An act which has and will likely change the region forever, as the hands of time acclimate the seeds to naturally propagate others of their kind. Imagine 1000 years in the future, where that area could easily produce from those six trees they planted , a grand forest not unlike that on the West Coast. Astonishing!
Well, my friend, this is about the most heartwarming comment I’ve received yet 😊 Thank you so much! I made this video several years ago, and since then I have been fortunate enough to travel the West Coast and see some of those wonderful trees out there. Thank you for your work as an arborist!
@@BenOrvis You are most welcome! I am glad to hear you’ve visited the parents of those great trees. Timeless is their beauty. I look forward to other amazing treasures in nature you find and share with us. Either way, be well , enjoy the journey and the trees along the way. Again, thank you.🌲
I just visited these for the first time on July 4th last year. It was one of the daily attractions during the Manistee National Forest Festival. I had biked past that area many times as a teen and never knew they were there until recently.
@@BenOrvis They are pretty incredible. It is somewhat hard to fully grasp their height when you are close to them as they are so tall. I would be curious to find a location a bit further away to take it all in, especially in relation to the other trees. As I recall they have both some Sequoias and a giant redwood tree (or two) of a different species there as well. The redwoods are only slightly shorter.
Michigan had a huge timber growth that was logged of over a hundred years ago. My father and I used to deer hunt in northern Gladwin County in November. We each would clean out the remainder of a hollowed out stump that were easily 6 ft inside to use as blinds. Cutting off a couple of low branches of a nearby white pine made an excellent roof and we used them for a couple years until someone else found them and took them over. Sadly, the last time I checked, the 75 ft tall pines had been logged off, they clear cut the area, for several acres in all directions.
I have 8 seedlings so far and I'm planning on planting them on a mountain in Crete, Greece where I live. I hope they get big and strong,I will never see them fully grown but the future generations will.
@@kostasvorniotakis4157 I suppose the age of the tree isn’t very crucial. Just make sure the root ball stays intact and probably transplant them in late summer or autumn. 🙂 Enjoy them for as long as you can! 🙂🌲🌲
One truly does learn new things every day. If you're into learning new things, that is. This is truly amazing. I never thought the Sequoias would grow in such a harsh climate. I was born in the U.P. and the cold there is BITTER, and the snows unreal. I have also spent time amongst the Sequoias and Redwoods in California, and they will shut your mouth, that's for sure. Some of God's best creations, no doubt about it. Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful story, I love trees ,Michigan sounds a lovely place I have visited some states of America when i lived in Canada now returned to my native Australia . & in my senior years but will always love these large majestic trees.❤
I very much appreciate the kind words! 😊 I don’t wanna sound like a salesman, but I have other content as well that you might enjoy 😊😉 Thanks for watching!!
I helped tend the Giant Forest here in California for almost 25 years. I’m pretty sure Gigantea are capable of eclipsing 300 feet. All of ours are topped because of lightning strikes. Where they live they are exposed to a LOT of Lightning. The Coast Redwoods to our North do not suffer the lightning barrage like the Giant Forest does here at 6700+’ elevation.
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RrL4KzbLxCY.htmlsi=ntDFvi0_fD12d1ED We visited these ones while we were out west, and what an experience it was!!!
Awesome for you guys. They are the most magnificent tree. We have many here in Oregon. Enjoy! Smart to plant them right by the Lake, that way they’ll get the water they need.
Absolutely beautiful! The Redwood is my favorite family of tree. I have a Dawn Redwood in my yard. I hope more of these trees have been planted or will be planted. Three is not nearly enough!
You meant, "planting a seedling", not "planting a seed". Those trees were planted as seedlings. They already had roots and branches when they were "transplanted".
Great video! Another very impressive redwood tree is Metasequoia glyptostroboides - the Dawn Redwood. Thought to be extinct, it was rediscovered in the 1930's, in an isolated valley, in China. The fossils of this tree are found worldwide, dating back to hundreds of millions of years ago. Today, they are again growing around the globe. It is thought that the non-cultivar Metasequoia is capable of reaching heights in the 200' range, maybe taller.
ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RrL4KzbLxCY.htmlsi=wz1xzBSLABktw_HO When we traveled through California, Sequoia National Park was closed, but we did go here. 🙂 I agree: those trees are definitely otherworldly. 😊
I remember seeing 2-3 sequoias on the US capitol grounds back before 9/11. They were not huge huge. I wonder how tall they are now and whether folks can walk on the grass to see them up close. One used to be able to walk up the front stairs up to the terraces and look over the mall.
That's awesome. In April of 2013 I discovered one in someone's front yard, out in the country, in Pittsgrove Township, Salem County, NJ. Some of the branches were dead on one side, but it still looked great overall. Well as of the latest Google Street View (2019), only the top is still alive. I have no idea how big or tall it is, but it's impressive. But I'm very sad that it's dying.
Sequoia’s are only found in the Sierra Mountains outside of Viasaila and Fresno California. Not Northern California. Redwoods are located North of San Francisco, California.
Thanks for the clarification. I actually made this video a couple years ago, and since then I’ve been lucky enough to travel through California (seeing both the sequoias and the coastal redwoods). Of the two, I would say that they’re equally impressive species!! True marvels 😊
@@stevepringle2295 Visiting Kings Canyon in April, 2006 and seeing those Giant Sequoias was awe inspiring. Just Magnificent. I will never forget touching the base of these mighty survivors. I never knew about the Sequoias growing in Manistee Michigan. Born and raised in the Flint area. I love West Michigan and the shores of Lake Michigan.😊
There is a park in New Zealand that has a sequoia sempervirens growing next to a sequoiadendron giganteum. They looked to be approximately 100 years old.
@@BenOrvis there was one planted here in San Diego on Palomar mountain it grew in a strange way it was not very tall but very wide at the base kind of like a pyramid. They ended up cutting it down and milling it into lumber I was working for a contractor and he got some of the wood we used it for fencing and it was a pink purple color never seen wood like that.
Good question! Generally, conservationists frown upon plant relocation. But I think it’s important to differentiate between “non-native” and “invasive”. These trees are definitely NOT invasive. 😉🙂
they do quite well in Europe also but for some reason they are harder to grow on the east coast of the USA maybe its too wet for their roots? or do all the deciduous broadleaf trees put out some chemical that attacks most non native conifers
Good questions…I always sort of wondered why they aren’t more prevalent on the east coast. It could possibly be as simple as the fact that they were never really there, and it takes a tree to grow another tree.
Coming from the redwood forests of Northern California I can tell you I would never plant one within about 100 feet of a house. If you look at the old trees out west you will notice that there can be 200 or more feet of trunk before the branches start sticking out. There used to be branches close to the ground but they lose them as the years go by and the trees get taller. When they get big enough the branches can be as large as whole trees themselves and then eventually those also will fall off. So, take a branch the size of an entire tree and drop it on your house from 200 feet up, back home we call them widow makers and home wreckers. Coast redwoods are far taller than the gigantea, and not as brittle. In fact the sequoia gigantea was never commercially harvested because the wood is too brittle and splits, it would often shatter on impact with the ground. Where the coast redwoods are such great lumber that they have nearly been logged off the face of the earth. Hyperion, the tallest tree in the world in Humboldt County is over 380 feet and still growing taller. If a tree like that fell and your house was 350 or less feet away you too could join your ancestors in heaven.
They can only grow as high as the water can defy gravity and reach the tops. They rely on the fog/clouds in CA to supply the water to the top..MI doesn't have that, so they will never get that big there.
@@waterlec8718 absolutely! But in that area, the place is landscaped pretty well (trimmed and mowed), and also I don’t think the foot traffic would allow for much sequoia regeneration. 😏
Really? "What makes the area so special is giant sequoias"? You should have paid closer attention to your surroundings while you were there! Because I saw a lot cooler things in Manistee area than some non-native trees transplanted by humans! 😂 Sure, they're cool. But, did you ever do the Manistee River walk, or fish for monster 35+ lb King Salmon? Maybe some Coho's or 12" brookies on a fly rod? Did you ever see the sunset over Lake Michigan from Arcadia Overlook? Or sit in the shadow of Arcadia bluff while the sun rose behind you making everything look like it's in HD? Or go behind the bluff after sunset to see the billions of stars, or the pinks, whites, blues and purples of the Milky Way that aren't visible from most other places? This video might be the douchiest thing I've seen this year, and that's saying a lot!
Holy cow bro! If this is the “douchiest” thing you’ve seen this year, you’re pretty lucky. At the moment, I’m grinding in one of the big southern cities, sweating my butt off. I’d give about anything to be along that beautiful Michigan coastline you described (even if it was just for a “douchie” non-native tree, transplanted by some humans). And yeah, I’ve seen the other stuff too. But that tree’s still pretty darn cool. 🤷♂️ Thanks for watching.
@BenOrvis Sorry for being so harsh. But, you said, what "makes that area so special" are the giant sequoias. There's so many things in that area better than those trees, I couldn't even take the video seriously after hearing that. It was just so hyperbolic and over-the-top about some trees that are pretty cool, but they're surrounded by so much awesome.
@BradleyBellwether-oy2qi I hear you man. Truth is, I made that video two and a half years ago and I’ve progressed quite a bit as a writer/videographer. No sweat, bro. I get it; it’s an oversimplification of an area that’s rich with so much more than just a few trees. 😉👍
@mikezweber4433 Hey Mike! In a perfect world, plant life is adapted to its specific type of geographical locale. Some of our conservation or ecological issues arise from species being introduced where they shouldn’t be, but I personally think that these sequoias get a free pass. 🙂 I think it’s important for us to differentiate between “non-native” and invasive. Three California trees along the Michigan coastline may be “non-native”, but they are certainly not invasive. 🙂
@@mikezweber4433 There are countless examples of plants and animals introduced to non-native areas where those organisms have replaced, severely reduced or even eliminated the native species. Sometimes they have no local enemies and reproduce without restraint. Their numbers alone cause damage to the local environment.
