Book review of: Forest Giants of the Pacific Coast
by: Robert Van Pelt
Pub: 2001
This book could have been titled Forest Giants of the
world because most of the big trees only exist on the
Pacific Coast. The giant kauri tree of New Zealand is
probably the only exception. Just how big are these
trees? It is difficult to describe a tree 300 feet
high in print. You really have to stand at the base
or walk around it.
I'm fortunate that these trees are close by. This helps
me translate written descriptions into images. For
everyone else i'll try to fill the gap with some statistics.
This book is about individual trees but it is clear that
they can not be isolated from a forest. Large trees that
were spared from logging tend to do poorly if left alone.
Also, it is intersting that many different types of tree
attain large size under the right conditions. In one
case a giant redwood grove has one fir tree that dwarfs
everyone else.
So, back to size. Here are some trees:
REX - Douglas fir found in Olympic National Park
height 302 feet (91.2 meters)
diameter 13 feet (396 cm)
volume 10,200 sq feet (289 sq meters)
WASHINGTON - Sequoia found in Sequoia National Park
height 254 feet (77.4 meters)
diameter 27.9 feet (851 cm)
volume 49220 sq feet (1394 sq meters)
To get perspective one might try to fit one of these
trees in whatever room we happen to be in. How wide
is the average room? Maybe 25 feet?
The book goes on to describe about a hundred trees
including cedar, pine, spruce, and hemlock.
jeff
