Sequoia sempervirens is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Common names include coast redwood, coastal redwood and California redwood. This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 380.1 ft in height and up to 29 ft in diameter at breast height. These trees are also among the longest-living trees on Earth. Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 2,000,000 acres along much of coastal California (excluding southern California where rainfall is not sufficient) and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon. Being the tallest tree species, with a small range and an extremely long lifespan, many redwoods are preserved in various state and national parks; many of the largest specimens have their own official names.

We've seen them on the TV....seeing them up close and personal was something else!