Last updated: March 24, 2022
Place
Lady Bird Johnson Nature Trail Stop #5
Dave Van de Mark
Quick Facts
Location:
Lady Bird Johnson Trail
Significance:
Walking tour in old-growth redwoods
Designation:
National Park
Amenities
1 listed
Scenic View/Photo Spot
Living with the Wind
Wind is the great gardener of this ridgetop community. The quiet whisper of summer breezes give way to the powerful gusts of winter storms that can snap the highest branches, sending “widowmakers” plummeting hundreds of feet to the forest floor. Anchored by root systems much wider than they are deep, high winds can topple even the sturdiest of redwoods.
The death of one giant, though, gives life to others. Open spaces created by fallen limbs and trees allow light to cascade to the forest floor, providing opportunities for saplings to vigorously reach for the sun. Thickets of berries take advantage of the new-found sunlight, which may only last for a few seasons before the canopy crowds in again. As empires rise from the ashes of those that came before, so do the redwoods. Where once a towering redwood stood, another grows to take its place among the giants.
Wind is the great gardener of this ridgetop community. The quiet whisper of summer breezes give way to the powerful gusts of winter storms that can snap the highest branches, sending “widowmakers” plummeting hundreds of feet to the forest floor. Anchored by root systems much wider than they are deep, high winds can topple even the sturdiest of redwoods.
The death of one giant, though, gives life to others. Open spaces created by fallen limbs and trees allow light to cascade to the forest floor, providing opportunities for saplings to vigorously reach for the sun. Thickets of berries take advantage of the new-found sunlight, which may only last for a few seasons before the canopy crowds in again. As empires rise from the ashes of those that came before, so do the redwoods. Where once a towering redwood stood, another grows to take its place among the giants.