Stout Grove saw some changes between 2017 and 2018, including a broad wooden deck in front of the Stout Tree. In other spots, chunks of wood were moved to block social trails with available materials. The latter looked functional and practical, but the investment of time and money for the deck is questionable. To keep this post concise, I posted a video reply online, explaining point-by-point.  The Link:

Video about Stout Tree Deck

There is more to ponder beyond the video content. For example, when wood decking is fit tightly, dust and debris, and swelling, can seal the surface, preventing vertical passage of rainfall. In time, the deck could divert rainfall away from Stout redwood on that side in the same way a concrete patio repels rain. Continue reading following the image below …

 

 

The deck brought an article to mind, in San Francisco Chronicle, July 5, 2018.  The article delved into a policy of not naming redwoods or calling attention to certain ones. Here are a couple of quotes from the article. I will link to the article following these quotes.

“There’s a huge downside when people try to find these particular trees that you really can’t tell [apart] from other trees”

“By not naming a tree, you stand a chance of saving it”

“Publicizing names of champion trees is a mistake because it makes them targets of visitation”

Article Link: Should we hide the locations of the Earth’s greatest trees?

 

Take note, I have no problem with naming redwoods. The real problem is locations being found, and increased foot traffic. But I want to clarify why I’m linking to that article and train of thought. Drawing attention to a redwood with a huge deck is near equal to a nameplate  if we’re talking “celebrity status”.  The deck proclaims “here is the star of the show!” There is a wealth of fallen wood in that grove including Stout redwood’s own fallen chunks that could have globbed  around, making it both inconspicuous and impractical for photo ops. I believe the Stout Deck protects “feels good” feelings more than the redwood forest.

What I want people to glean from this is whether a project accomplishes the reason for it’s design, or whether it’s a pipe dream. Does management’s actions align with it’s words? Could better improvements have been done elsewhere with the same time and money?

When you go there, take a look between Stout redwood and huge fallen log. Chunks of wood were moved to close a social trail between redwoods. The change utilized what the grove already had to offer. The same thing could have been done around Stout redwood, but wasn’t. For the same investment, similar could have been done to protect a much more significant redwood that does have surface roots showing. The Howland Hill Giant. Howland Hill Giant could have been buffered in a single day using pieces of breakage found along the road.