Redwoods Far From Home

Explanation: What a magnificent forest this is! We are among towering coast redwoods, native to the fogbelt coastal region of northern California and southern Oregon, USA.

But wait ... where are we, here?

We are strolling the forest paths in Hamurana Springs Nature Reserve ... in New Zealand! Why are there redwoods here, and how could this forest be so magnificent?

Apparently, redwoods were introduced to this site that had long before been a tribal settlement of the people of Ngati Rangiwewehi who occupied the area since the mid-1300s.
According to a park trail signboard, these redwoods were planted in 1919, so during my visit in 2019 they were celebrating their 100th birth(planting)day!
So how can the redwoods be doing so well here, so far from their native range in the USA?
It is because, for one, the species is relatively pest-resistant, and in New Zealand there are no major insect or disease pathogens affecting the species (Nicolas and Watt 2011).
Further, in New Zealand the species has shown high tolerance for a wide range of site conditions elsewhere, at least in areas with a mild climate and at least some year-round rains.
It also has been suggested to plant redwoods elsewhere in New Zealand for the purpose of carbon sequestration (Watt and Kimberley 2022).
The forest seems to be of even-aged trees, suggesting they were mostly all planted at the same time.

Information:
     Nicolas, I., and M. Watt. 2011. The three potentially most useful exotic forest species for south eastern North Island marginal hill country. New Zealand Journal of Forestry 56(1):15-19.
http://nzjf.org.nz/free_issues/NZJF56_1_2011/AEAA6EBD-C5F3-4f01-9A10-94E1C2610FBC.pdf.
     Watt, M. S., and M. O. Kimberley. 2022. Spatial comparisons of carbon sequestration for redwood and radiata pine within New Zealand. Forest Ecology and Management 513:art. no. 120190.
Acknowledgment:
     A big international thanks to my colleague Dr. Nicolas Meurisse and to Anne-Hélène for hosting and guiding me to this superb park during one of my visits.

EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week