MONSTER TREES Sarah Let us tell you about the giant redwood that you are standing under here at the Giant’s Stop. Alex These monster trees are not as tall as the Coast Redwoods. But they are the world’s most massive trees by volume. Anthony Redwood fossils date them back more than 200 million years…..to Jurassic times! Alex Today they are native to California where the highest tree towers at an incredible 83 metres tall. Anthony They were discovered in 1852. And by 1856 nearly every big Irish estate had planted some. Mervyn the 7th Lord Powerscourt planted a line of them here in the 1870’s. Alex Like Greek Gods these giants never bow down and they seldom die. Anthony And just like some of the ancient immortals, thunderbolts play a large part in their birth and growth. BLITZ BIRTH Alex Every so often lightning strikes a redwood grove. It starts a brush fire in the undergrowth.The heat of the flames releases the seeds from the redwood cones.The seedlings grow up in the fertile ash. After 20 years, or so, the undergrowth becomes dense enough to support another blaze. Sarah So the lightning strikes again? Alex Yes, the redwood’s thick, damp bark protects it from burning undergrowth. New seedlings sprout and join the existing trees. Anthony So big redwood groves are the result of many successive brush fires caused by lightening? Sarah Indeed. Let’s enjoy the view of these gentle giants and feel the Giant Redwood’s soft, fireproof bark.