Dwelling Place of the Great Spirit

This California Redwood, in all it's glory, stands at about 150 feet tall and at it's base is about 8 feet across. We are majority owner of it - it's trunk spans three property lines - most of it encompasses our backyard.

Not long after we moved into this house (more than 4 years ago now), we called a friend who's an Arborist and had him over to remove some dead trees and inspect and trim the Redwood. The trees, much like our house, had been seriously uncared for and needed some attention.

This Arborist friend of ours is kinda quirky but he helped us to cement our love for this tree as one of the best features of the house. While he and his partner worked removing old dead trees in the yard, he couldn't stop professing his love for the Redwood tree - and how honored he was to be able to climb in it and care for it. As you can see, it is a very impressive specimen.

We learned that one of the neighbors attempted to get the tree cut down a few years before we moved in. The plan was squelched - rumor has it that this tree has protected status as a historical landmark or something.

Unfortunately, Wood noticed a while back that the tree was really brown at the top. We immediately called the arborist friend and asked for a visit.

He doesn't think that anything is wrong with the tree. It doesn't appear to have any disease or fungus. He doesn't think that the French Drain project we completed last year could have injured it. Did you know that the root-span of a tree is twice as far out as it is tall? That means that this tree's root structure could be as far away as a block and a half or more from our house!

I'm worried though, the tree seems to be browning more quite quickly. Our Arborist said that trees do have a limited lifespan. Redwoods apparently die, even in the forest, and urban dwelling can certainly cause some additional challenges for thriving in old age. While all that makes perfect sense, it's sad.

I love this tree.