Pictures of California's Coastal Redwood Forest

picture of a  California's Coastal Redwood forest dominated by Sequoia sempervirens
Coast Redwoods, (Sequoia sempervirens), the world's tallest tree, can reach in excess of 300 feet tall.

picture of a  California's Coastal Redwood forest with coast redwood (Sequoia semperviren), Elderberry Trees Sambucus,  and  Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum)
Coast Redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens, tower over Elderberry, and Western Sword Fern, Polystichum munitum that

thrive in this small clearing.

picture of a  California's Coastal Redwood forest with Coast Redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens), Elderberry, Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum
Leaf litter keeps the soil under these huge redwood trees healthy with microorganisms and nutrients. People tromping around on the

wet soil under these trees can cause very damaging soil compaction.

picture of an opening in  California's Coastal Redwood forest filled with  Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum), and Elderberry.
Fallen Coast Redwood trees, Sequoia sempervirens, allow sunlight to penetrate to the dark moist forest floor. They also provide an excellent home for wildlife from fungi to insects and even the occasional mammal.

picture of a fallen coast redwood tree with Western Sword Fern (Polystichum munitum) in a California's Coastal Redwood forest
This fallen Coast Redwood tree, Sequoia sempervirens, has become a home for young Western Sword Fern, (Polystichum munitum).

Huckleberry, Vaccinium ovatum, is the scraggly Spanish moss laced shrub behind the log.

For more information on this California plant community, see the California Coast Redwood Forest page.