"Surrounded by its thriving offspring, the fire-scarred stump of this parent redwood continues to stand 200 years after its death.  When alive it stood alone.  When it perished, probably by fire, a ring of protected underground bud tissue around the base of the tree sent up sprouts and a new generation thrust skyward.  (This reservoir of life is sometimes called a bud collar or basal burl.)

Family circles can be found through Muir Woods, although they seldom are as obvious as this one.  In many cases the parent tree has disappeared entirely, burned away by successive fires." 

James M. Moreley from
Muir Woods -- The Ancient Redwood Forest near San Francisco

 
Dear Frank,

I had a thought about Mom yesterday as I walked through Muir Woods admiring the giant redwoods.  Although most redwoods propagate through the dissemination of seeds, some redwood create families through their root system.  There is an example of this alternate mode of family making at the entrance to the Woods.  Six redwood stand tall in a perfect circle around an empty patch of ground.  The parent tree that once stood alone in the middle is passed away.  You can discern the presence of the parent by the position of the offspring.  The junior redwoods now fully mature shoot toward heaven. If you look closely at the roots of the junior redwoods, you can see that the circle of trees is now producing a third generation.

Chris

August 31, 1999