Went for a drive this afternoon with my wife and our dogs to scout a photo shoot location for a woman  who plays the harp. On the way back we met a man who moments earlier spotted mountain lion tracks to the side of the road. It was apparent he has a grasp for the local mountains, wildlife and plants. I handed him one of my large business cards and after looking at the redwood on it, he told us that there is a small stand of coast redwood trees nearby in Redwood Buttes Wilderness. Just a few, and not big, but he seemed to believe that they are indeed coast redwood. This caught my attention right away. The area he described  is probably 3000 ft. elevation, very little summer fog, and a long way from the coast. If they actually exist, they are about 45 miles directly east of Brookings, Oregon, or about 50 miles E x NE of Crescent City, California. These grab my curiosity  more than where  northernmost coast redwoods may grow. Before Autumn 2016 draws to a close I hope to explore this hidden grove and ascertain the species’ identification to my own satisfaction.

UPDATE:  August 21, 2016, my son Michael joined me and we looked for the reported coast redwoods in Red Buttes Wilderness. As I suspected could happen, they were misidentified Yew trees. Pretty nice for Yew trees though. The area actually had several running and seeping springs and old growth Douglas fir and other evergreens up to 6 feet diameter. That, plus green moss past mid-August and rocks still moist on top by 10 am, leads me to believe that Coast Redwood could easily survive there if they could find a way to germinate (as I’ve said before, I think the key to survival with coast redwoods also lies with germination and seedling survival … possibly more so than the role of fog for large size).

I did spot a very tall Madrone though, and plan to return with a laser to see how it stacks up to the record Arbutus measured by Zane Moore farther south down in California. My guess on this Oregon madrone is over 120 ft., but I need to return with a laser. Zane’s Madrone was a hint over 135 ft. tall.

Related to this post update — I hear very little research or commentary from the redwood parks, conservation groups or various enthusiasts, about germination requirements and seedling survival around the coast redwood’s present range and other nearby forests. Most often, talk revolves around fog, which is related of course. But little to explain why coast redwoods will grow in so many locations around western WA & OR, etc., but don’t seem to germinate + survive as well.

The photo below shows Chris Atkins in Redwood National and State Parks much closer to the ocean.

Chris Atkins in Redwood National and State Parks