Sacagawea coast redwood #24
Jedediah Smith Redwoods .. a seasonal brook flows beneath
by Mario Vaden
One photo below shows the lower trunk of Sacagawea, in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, taken several years ago. This is in the Grove of Titans. In 2016, I returned to the grove after an absence of almost 2 years and got the second image showing more of its form. It's not gnarly, but a very nice redwood. It felt strange returning this time to the grove after so long and after finding many other notable discoveries.
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Years ago, it was apparent just gazing at the trunk that it's large. But the stats for it's volume surprised me. Sacagawea redwood has 24,649 cu. ft.. That puts it near 24th largest (2012), almost as big as Redwood Creek Giant in Redwood National Park and Godwood Creek Giant in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. Sacagawea redwood has a trunk diameter and "footprint" area on the ground virtually the same as Terex Titan in Prairie Creek redwoods. Approximately 21 ft. dbh. The height was 321 ft. which is respectable. The abundance of epiphitic huckleberry and fern mats is almost triple of the larger redwood Del Norte Titan.
The canopy of this coast redwood was climbed and studied by researchers from Humboldt State University. Marie Antoinne, wife of Steve Sillett, climbed Sacagawea one January years ago when wind moved a huge pollen cloud from it's crown. This species pollenates in the winter time. The yellow pollen that caused her some coughing and choking is reminiscent of my own work pruning since 1980. Gymnosperms like this can produce a lot of pollen. I enjoy watching the pollen clouds as they drift though open space.
Other that facinates me about this redwood is a tiny seasonal brook that flows beneath it during the rainy season. Of the few other gargantuan redwoods known, one with a similar characteristic is Artemis in Prairie Creek. Artemis has a hidden brook beneath most of the year. Two redwoods with that similarity and both were given female names.
The real Sacagawea was a Shoshone Native American Indian, who traveled with and helped the Lewis and Clark Expedition. She lived from May, 1788 to December 20, 1812. Her husband was named Toussaint Charbonneau. Their children were Jean Baptiste and Lizette.
