When my third grade teacher read us a story about the life of a giant redwood tree or sequoia, I was impressed. I was even more impressed many years later when I actually saw a giant redwood tree up close. Although the largest giant redwood in existence does not hold any records for being the oldest, tallest, or broadest tree in the world, nothing can match its sheer volume. The tree known as the General Sherman contains an estimated 50,000 cubic feet of wood.
The trunk of the largest redwood averages 53 feet around its base. One coastal redwood in California towers to 368 feet. Giant redwoods are virtually indestructible because they have fire-resistant bark. In fact, the trees need the clearing effect of forest fires to successfully establish new seedlings. They are also resistant to fungi and wood-boring insects. “Barring accidents,” said John Muir, “the Big Tree seems to be immortal.” The greatest age that has been verified from a redwood stump by its tree rings is 3,200 years. However, John Muir claimed to have discovered a stump containing 4,000 rings.
The main cause of death is to be blown over. That’s right—being blown over. In spite of their great height, the sequoias have been cursed with a relatively shallow root system that seldom reaches down into the earth more than six feet. A tree standing alone is in danger of being blown over. Today there are just 75 groves of giant redwoods remaining. The groves are generally tucked away from areas of high wind. The big trees reach their maximum height in the first 500 years of their lives, after which the lateral expansion of the roots continues for at least 3,000 years causing each tree’s root system to intertwine with those of others in the grove. Because they have the protection of their location and the support of their colleagues in the groves they can grow without fear of high winds. Not a single giant redwood tree is found outside these groves, even where favorable climatic conditions prevail.
It is an old adage that “in unity there is strength.” An old Scythian king who had many sons, on his deathbed, called them around him. Some of them suggested the propriety of dividing the king’s dominion among all his sons. The king took a bundle of arrows and gave them to his sons, saying, “Break that bundle of arrows.” They passed the arrows around and all tried to break them, and they could not. He then said, “Now, untie them and then break them,” which was easily done. He then said to his sons, “If you are all united as one man, you can never be overpowered or destroyed, but if you divide you will be easily conquered.”
Jesse Jackson reportedly said, “His foreparents came to America in immigrant ships. My foreparents came to America in slave ships. But whatever the original ships, we’re all in the same boat tonight.”
In our lifetimes, even though we travel together, it is unlikely that we, as Americans, will be united and all see eye to eye on any particular issue. Even so, we all have much for which to be grateful. Gordon B. Hinckley said, “Life is like an old time rail journey—delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting us have the ride.”
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