Imported giant sequoia trees are well adapted to the UK, growing at rates close to their native ranges and capturing large amounts of carbon during their long lives, finds a new study led by UCL researchers with colleagues at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
The new research, published in Royal Society Open Science, found that the most massive species of redwood trees, Sequoiadendron giganteum, known as the giant sequoia, can potentially pull an average of 85 kilograms of carbon out of the atmosphere per year. Though introduced to the UK 160 years ago, this is the first time the trees' growth rate and resilience in the UK have been analyzed.
There are an estimated half a million redwoods in the UK and more are being planted, partly due to their public appeal. In the wild, they are endangered with fewer than 80,000 giant sequoias remaining in their native California range.
