Taller than you thought

The former distribution of ancient Redwoods.

NPS Graphic

So, you've decided to climb a Redwood tree... I hate to break it you, but these trees can grow to be over 250 feet tall! It appears that you don't have any climbing gear either, and we want to make as little of an impact as possible. Don't worry, you can still take a closer look at the Sequoias, which is the genus (meaning the classification of both living and fossil organisms). The scientific name for the Redwoods you see in Eocene Florissant is Sequoia Affinis. So, if the genus is Sequoia then the species is Affinis.

These trees thrive in areas that get a lot of rain or moisture. During the Eocene, the ancient Redwoods were widespread across the Northern Hemisphere, which is the half of Earth above or north of the equator.

 

Height Comparison:

View the diagram below that shows the height differences between a 10-story building, Giant Sequoia and the modern coastal Redwood, which are more closely related to the Sequoia Affinis.

 

Coastal Redwoods are the tallest in this diagram, with being over double the height of a ten-story building!

NPS / Astrid Garcia

 

Hug an ancient Redwood tree