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The giant Sequoia tree, to my way of thinking, is or should be one of the Natural Seven Wonders of the World. As far as I know, it might be on the list, but I am not sure. However, there are a few things that I am one hundred percent of about this wonderous creature.
Most of the trees appear scorched at the bottom of the treen near the ground. Most people think this dark black area is pitch, a common substance found in trees. The Sequoia tree, however, contains tannin a substance also found in red wine, tea, and aged cheeses, as well as several other plants. This tree, when hit by disease will heal itself using that tannin. Tannin is also the same substance that one of the finest oncologist informed me and a friend of mine that was being treated for brain cancer that he should avoid these products because tannin will kill the drug that is used for radiation. So if that is true, and since he was one of this country's finest oncologist, and was desperately trying to save one of his patients, then why wouldn't it be obvious that tannin, could also be a very important substance for man.
There are 75 or less groves of these trees left in this world today. Their flesh, the outer ring of the tree, is usually about 4 inches thick and a reddish color. This giant tree protects itself from fire, which by the way is a necessity for the trees growth because of it's size. By perching itself up on the 'paw' or edge of it's roots, the tree creates the effect of a dogs paw, or even a leg and paw joint of the dog. This keeps the fire from being able to get to high up the sides of the tree. Some young trees of course, do perish in the wake of uncontrolled fires, those statted by careless campers, lightenig strikes, etc. The tree is big enough when hollowed out after one falls to lay a king sized mattress in, and also to build a cabin in, as one man did. A man named Hale Tharp. It is known as Tharps Log, and is protected by the Park Service, and located in the Crescent Meadow area. He was one of the few people who realized that nature does supply mankind with the much needed necessities of life. This tree dies when it falls over. It falls over because of the shallow root system, which is only approximately five foot underground, however can spread out of an area of twenty five feet or more. The heavy snow, reduces the the hardness of the ground and because of the weight of this giant tree, it simply falls over, and when it does, the effect is much like an earthquake, even to the extent that the sap pours out of the tree at the base, much like it would if a fire hydrant were to break at one of the side caps. This tree DOES NOT petrify when it falls. It simply lays there, unless of course there has been a petrified one found recently, within the last few years. However, since I pretty much keep up with the findings our of the things about Sequoia National Park and these trees, I haven't heard of that happening. Please feel free to correct me if I am wrong.
This giant tree should not be confused with the trees that align the coast, as they are called Coastal Redwoods. The coastal Redwood is simply a cousin to the the Giant Sequoia. The Giant Sequoia tree is known by the techincal name of Sequoiadendron Gigantneum, maybe related to the Coastal Redwoods, but the actual wood inside the tree is spindly and soft, therefore making it unusable for furniture and such. The trees are very tall, however they aren't as tall as the coastal Redwoods. The Coastal Redwood on the other hand, isn't near as big around as the Giant Sequoia. More than once during my 5 summer stays working for the concessionaire at Sequoia National Park was I asked two questions, such as follows:
"DO YOU FEEL THE LIFE IN THESE TREES, LIKE I DO?"
THE ANSWER IS "YES, I CAN DEFINITELY FEEL THE LIFE IN THESE TREES."
ANOTHER QUESTION ASKED, WAS, "WHERE DO YOU PUT THESE TREE'S IN THE WINTER, SURELY THEY MUST GET COLD, THEY FEEL SO ALIVE."
THE ANSWER OF THIS QUESTION CAN GO TWO WAYS, YOU COULD LOOK AT THIS PERSON LIKE THEY WERE JUST PLAIN STUPID, AFTER ALL IT IS A TREE, THEY AREN'T TAKEN DOWN, DEFLATED AND STORED AND THEN BROUGHT OUT AND RE-INFLATED IN THE SPRING, OR YOU COULD SAY, "YES, THEY DO FEEL ALIVE, BUT THE CREATURE IS A TREE AND IT IS INTENDED FOR THEM TO STAND RIGHT WHERE THEY ARE EVEN IN WINTER AND SOMEHOW OR OTHER, THAT WE DON'T AND PROBABLY NEVER WILL UNDERSTAND, IS HOW THEY DO STAY WARM."
The pinecone from these trees is very small, about the size of a chicken egg. Yet it houses thousands of seeds, and out of those seeds, about only 100 or so will actually take root, and about 10 or so of that hundred will actually live and grow to become a tree, that will stand for years upon years, beyond our lifetime.
Controlled fires, those fires started and controlled by the National Park Service are a necessity. The snow that falls each winter is a necessity. A worm, which bores a hole in the cone, is a necessity. The Chickaree, the ground squirrel which eats away at the cone, allowing the seed to fall out is a necessity. The sun, that hits the tops of the trees, is a necessity. Nature goes hand in hand, and that is all there is to it. All these things, these creatures, and elements come together to insure that the trees still grow. Isn't Nature wonderful?!
The preservation of these trees is a necessity, because someday man will realize that for some reason these trees, which stand so tall and straight, and that fire can only destroy when it travels down the heart wood of the tree, may just be the one force of Nature that can and does save thousands of lives.
The first time I crossed the line into Sequoia, I felt at home, at peace. Yes, I have travelled all over the United States, was raised in the Great State of Texas, but Sequoia National Park is where my soul found it's peace. IT was that way for my biological father, Sidney also. I was sitting there one day and all of a sudden I remembered a story he told me when I was very young. It was one of the few memories of the man that I had retained from my childhood. We were sitting on the edge of the bed, just after I had woke up and he told the story of how he had seen the most awesome trees in this world, during a short stay in the Military. They were giant, they were filled with life, with soul, with heart. It was like he felt at home there. Just as I did.
If even one person who reads this story takes it to heart and goes to see these trees, then my writing, will be worth each stroke of the keyboard it took to tell this story. I will never be rich or even famous for my writing, I know that, even though I am trying desperately to get a series of childrens books published about these trees and the animals that reside in the area where they reside. It may not happen, simply because I don't have a name, like a movie star or singer, or a publisher of books, or a politcal figure, or a mass murder, or someone who simply commits a horrenous crime and instantly becomes famous because of it. To me, that is not fame, that is because the general
public find it more interesting than trees, than nature, or what makes this world or universe fit together, and fall into place. Yes, I could self publish, but no, I can't do that for personal reasons. Yes, they are at a publishing house, with a real publisher and little by little I am paying a contract off. Yes of course they are meant for children, but everyone would enjoy them. At least I would like to think so. So, until then, I will just write like I normally do, sporadically, telling short stories, and poems. It doesn't matter whether I am rich or famous, wealth can not be measured by what you have, it can only be measured by what you know, by what you yourself experiences. So therefore, I consider myself already wealthy.
Have a Great Day, and May the Angels of Love, and Safety fly at your sides.
amy jean, (jesse_jean57) aka A.J.Angerstein
May 26, 2012
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