Did you know that Giant Redwoods – Sequoias – are the world’s largest trees? Did you also know that we have our very own private Sequoia Woodland at Maes Mynan Holiday Park?
Feeling small in woodland comes with the territory. But when it comes to a Sequoia Woodland, you experience that ‘smallness’ even more.
Wandering in our Sequoia woodland, here at Maes Mynan, you are confronted by very tall, reddish, thick and fibrous barked trees, that are soft to the touch. It’s easy to appreciate the majestic beauty of the Sequoias as they crowd around you as you walk through the woodland. In fact you can’t help being wooed by the tall redwoods, as Sequoias make awesome company, as one of the largest and tallest living organisms on the planet. The peaceful and quiet space these tall trees offer is something to experience. For all these reasons, we love our private Maes Mynan Sequoia woodland.
While the Maes Mynan Sequoia trees can’t yet compete in age or size as their Californian cousins, they are most beautifully majestic. They offer a unique and magical ambiance to the woodland walks available to our holiday homeowners at Maes Mynan Holiday Park. As a private woodland, it offers an abundance of well-being opportunities for those who love the great outdoors, the sound of birdsong and the peace and tranquillity of the natural world. A perfect walking retreat for Maes Mynan Park holiday homeowners and their visiting guests.
The shade from our Maes Mynan Sequoias is enhanced by the early evening sunlight, as it creates a romantic dappled light that bounces off the orange hues of the redwood bark, offering a unique, magical, sensory experience. The Maes Mynan Sequoias, as Redwoods, are easily identifiable by their velvety reddish-brown, fibrous bark, slightly drooping branches, spike like spirals when you look upwards towards the sky, and a soft carpet underfoot of orange needles, interspersed with native ferns.
You may also have seen in the BBC news lately, that the UK has a thriving Sequoia population!
Giant and Coastal Redwoods have long found a home in the UK. These species of redwoods were originally planted in the 1800s by Victorian plant hunters on their return from their travels from California.
Many Sequoias were planted as single monumental trees, or as long avenues to symbolise wealth and prosperity for those living in large, stately houses. There are now over half a million Sequoias redwoods in the UK today.
7 things you should know about the majestic Giant Redwoods and Sequoia Trees
- Redwoods have adapted to be fire-resistant with their thick, spongy bark, which can be around 12 centimetres to 1.2 metres thick, depending on the age of the Sequoia at its base. The spongy bark helps to protect the Sequoia trees from flames, along with the water-based sap they produce.
- As Sequoia trees grow, they lose their lower branches, which stops fire spreading to the canopy. Coastal Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) also have the ability to re-sprout from their bases if the tree above is damaged by fire.
- Fires are vital to a giant redwood forest, as the ash left behind is the perfect fertiliser for redwood seeds to sprout and grow. Successful germination often requires a fire or flood to, reduce competition for seedlings. Heat opens the cones to disperse the seeds.
- Sequoia sempervirens (the species of Sequoia in our Maes Mynan woodland) can live for up to 2,200 years. The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) can live to over 3,000 years.
- Sequoia, as Redwoods have adapted to live so long because of their special chemical substances (terpenoids and tannic acid) found in their leaves, roots, bark, and wood. These chemicals act as a defence against insect, disease and fungal attacks. However, redwoods can still be subject to insect infestations, but to date, none are known to kill a healthy tree.
- Sequoia sempervirens can re-sprout from its root crown when felled (be it a natural event or human deforestation), making them ideal for woodland plantations and carbon capture in a climate changing world. We love this fact about the Sequoia, as we can see this happening in real time in our private Sequoia woodland at Maes Mynan.
- The Sequoia family are one of the longest living organisms on Earth, having learnt to adapt and evolve to survive many environmental, climate and biodiverse challenges along the way.
The Maes Mynan Sequoias were planted in the 1950s when Peter’s grandfather leased the woodland to the Agriculture and Fisheries.
California’s Sequoias are under threat from more frequent and intense wildfires and climate-change fuelled droughts. But the report from Britain’s academy of sciences, at the Royal Society, showed that the giant sequoia redwoods may be proving that “our climate is more temperate, wetter, and so it is actually likely better suited to these trees in the long run,” Dr Mathias Disney from University College London).
The Giant Sequoias (Sequoiadendron giganteum) can live for more than 3,000 years and the Coastal Sequoia (Sequoia sempervirens) can live for 2,200 years. Our Maes Mynan Sequoia Trees are mainly the coastal species and are only around 70 years old. When walking through our Sequoia woodland at Maes Mynan, you can only imagine how tall and wide these Redwoods will grow in years to come.
Climate help from the Sequoia Redwoods
It is now recognised that Sequoia redwoods may have a role to play in our future UK forests, as studies show their suitability to a changing climate.
It is said that the size of Sequoias and their fast-growing nature means they are able to store a great deal of carbon as they grow. When used for timber, the carbon stays locked up, and the trees have good potential as a sustainable timber source in the future.
As a result of their size, Sequoias also provide a complex micro-ecosystem, supporting over 250 plant species in their native habitat and offer neighbouring Sequoias anchors, perfect for windy conditions, as their root system knit together underground. Their insulating bark has adapted to wildfire, reducing its impact and currently, there aren’t any known major threats to the trees’ health from pests and diseases, unlike some other tree species.
Here at Maes Mynan Park, we offer a range of holiday homes for sale, as well as luxury bespoke lodges for sale.
If a quiet rural escape is what you seek for your holiday haven, then book a tour. Visit and experience the magical setting of a country retreat surrounded by nature, wildlife, birdlife and Sequoia woodland.
You can contact us on info@nullacornleisure.com or via our Contact Page here.
