How Sequoias Survive and Thrive

A reader of this blog sent me an important article about how sequoias survive which I’ve summarized below. Thanks, Ray!

Sequoias are the tallest trees in the world, being around 300 feet tall like a 30-story building! But their roots go only 6 to 12 feet deep.

They do this, despite the presence of strong wind storms in California, by interconnecting with the other trees around them. Their roots spread out 50 to 80 feet in all directions to interweave with the other nearby sequoias. This gives them not only storm-resistance strength but also shared nutrients and water for climate resilience. It is like they are all holding hands with each other as very good friends who support each other with love, compassion, and care in tough times as well as good times. As a result the forest is a system that is far stronger than individual trees. They’re all in this together!

We, on the other hand, are more individually oriented. Our focus is more on gaining and stockpiling our resources to find security and happiness. But the real question should not be how can I become more self-sufficient? Rather, it should be how can I hold hands with all the right systems of our humanity and of nature? How can I be all in this together with all beings?

[This is a summary of an article by Bob Avis, as quoted by Tracy Chrest in a Substack post.]