There are more giant redwood trees in the UK than in their native US, and they are well adapted to life in Britain, a study has found. Around half a million giant sequoia and closely related coastal redwoods are growing in the UK, compared to just 80,000 still growing in California's Sierra Nevada mountains.
Noting 'recent interest in planting more redwoods' due to 'their public appeal and potential for storing carbon', researchers from University College London and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, set out to find out how well they grow in the UK for the first time - taking into account the milder climate and wider range of rainfall. The team put together the first dedicated map of giant sequoias in the UK, showing the location of nearly 5,000 known trees.