C oastal Redwoods flourish only in the coastal California's fog belt. Frequent fog supplies critical moisture during the dry season. Condensing on needles and leaves, it drips to the forest floor. It also decreases water loss from trees by evaporation and transpiration. Winter is the wet season, averaging 40 inches of rainfall.
Fire clears the floor of duff so that redwood seeds can reach mineral soil.
It recycles nutrients, turning debris into ash, and it can enhance foraging for wildlife. Fire-scar dating research shows that before Europeans arrived wildfires occurred every 20 to 50 years. Fire suppression by humans over the last 150 years interrupted these cycles, with negative effects on the eco-system. In 1985, the National Park Service began a program of controlled burning to re-establish fire's natural role in plant and animal communities. Y ou may notice the relative silence in these woods.