El Viejo del Norte ~ Coast Redwood

This page is an off-shoot of > Largest Coast Redwoods

Copyright 2009 by Mario Vaden

El Viejo del Norte is one of the Grove of Titans redwoods discovered May 11, 1998, by Michael Taylor and Prof. Steve Sillett the researcher. The 2nd redwood titan seen on The day of Discovery, after the men spotted Screaming Titans. It is in the midst of Jedediah Smith Redwoods, in the forest across from the campground and Smith River. More location details won't be posted at this time.

The 2009 measurements for El Viejo del Norte were: 323.8' or 98.7 meters tall, and 23.0' diameter measured at 4.5' above grade. 35,400 cubic feet of wood volume. Robert Van Pelt had written in 2001 that it had 1177 AF points | American Forests points. In 2009, it's the 5th largest known coast redwood in the world.

El Viejo del Norte was climbed by researchers who found fern mats, including one of the largest known, measuring 25 feet long, six feet wide and 3 feet thick. Almost like a forest floor above the forest floor, 260' up in the canopy. On the fern mat are evergreen huckleberry plants and leatherleaf fern, Polypodium scouleri.

One of the most unique things about this redwood, is the network of limbs and stems which have grown, broken, fused, re-oriented by bending, broken, fused, etc.. The damage, growth and change to limbs in the lower crown is believed to be associated with a stream that has shifted course, no longer beneath it's limbs. There is evidence of a landslide nearby. Lost Monarch redwood, the largest, is not very far away. Both redwoods can probably reach moist swampy soil a short distance away.

The main trunk form of El Viejo del Norte is very similar to that of Lost Monarch, except slightly smaller proportionately. El Viejo del Norte was first discovered with a significant dead top, and the lower branch fusions set it apart visually.