A redwood is an enormous evergreen tree native to the foggy coastal regions of northern California and southern Oregon. These giants can grow over 350 feet tall (taller than the Statue of Liberty!) and live for more than 2,000 years. Their trunks can be so wide that people have carved tunnels through them big enough to drive a car through.

Redwoods have thick, reddish-brown bark that gives them their name. This bark can be over a foot thick and helps protect the trees from fire and disease. Walking through a redwood forest feels like entering a cathedral: the massive trunks rise like columns toward the sky, and the dense canopy high above filters the sunlight into soft green beams.

These trees are among the tallest living things on Earth. The current tallest known redwood, named Hyperion, stands at about 380 feet. Scientists didn't discover it until 2006, hidden deep in a remote forest. Redwoods grow so tall partly because of the coastal fog, which provides them with extra moisture during California's dry summers. Their shallow but wide root systems interlock with neighboring trees, helping them support each other against strong winds.

Because of their size and valuable lumber, loggers cut down most of California's ancient redwood forests in the 1800s and 1900s. Today, conservation efforts protect the remaining old-growth forests in places like Redwood National Park, where visitors can still experience these magnificent trees.