As the tallest trees on our planet, redwoods have found a way to defy gravity (cue music from "Wicked") and grow super duper tall! We are talking about up to 380 ft tall (the height of the tallest known tree). Thats higher than London's Big Ben tower by the way! This doesn't happen by accident...in fact they have some pretty cool adaptations that allow them tickle the sky's under belly with such grace and class.
1. Redwoods
interlock their roots in order to provide a more stable root system! They have root systems that extend over 100 feet from their base, and they basically hold hands with other redwoods so that they able to grow insanely tall and endure crazy strong winds or floods.
2. Redwoods have
protective bark that is naturally resistant to insects, fungi, and
fire! Their thick, reddish bark is rich in a neat chemical called tannin which allows them to kick the butt of most microorganisms.
3. Redwoods can grow
different kinds of needles (what the leaves of the redwood are called). Because the trees are so darn tall, the needles at the top of the tree are exposed to more dry heat, so they grow with cute little tight spikes that conserve moisture by limiting the amount of evaporative surface. Whereas, the the needles on the lower branches are flat in order to catch any additional light that might have leaked through the thick canopy of branches.
4. Redwoods can live to be insanely
old. Some redwoods grow to be at least 2,000 years old! What!? I know....2,000 years old! There are some redwoods that were around at the time of Jesus! I wish I could have a conversation with those trees! :) Oh, and they actually say that as redwoods get older, they produce more wood, that is actually better quality.
5. Redwoods have a
gigantic base! In fact, they can have diameters of over 30 feet and a circumference of over 100 feet! In other words, redwoods have huge butts! Their large base helps with their stability the way a wide stance (or a large bottom) adds stability to a football player.
I know this makes me sound like a hippie (but you know what they say, "if the birkenstocks fit, wear them") but I believe we can learn a thing or too from these incredible creations! Particularly about how to grow "tall" spiritually, mentally, and physically. Wouldn't we be better off if we worked more as a team (interlocked roots), planned for the future (protective bark), were adaptable to different environments (different kinds of needles), cherished our elderly (redwoods are old), and developed a strong foundation (gigantic base)?
