Conifornia:

I was waiting for someone from your own area with a litle more day-to-day experience with redwoods to reply, but seeing your post hanging out here for a while, I will help as best I can. I have always been fascinated by the redwoods and have visited the parks often.

OK, as for your damaged little guy. If the bark has been stripped off all the way around and all the way to the cambium layer, the top will die. But sometimes when bark is "stripped," it is not completely stripped, in spite of appearances. Sometimes a thin layer of inner bark is left, and if enough of this is left--something like half way around, the bark will re-grow, the little trunk will "heal," and the tree will be fine. Maybe a close examination can tell you if what you see is indeed exposed sapwood where the buck rubbing was done, or if there is a substantial area where there is some residual bark.

If the top has been stripped so it will die, redwood trees are prolific sprouters, both from cut stumps, and from trunks stripped of foliage. Redwood is unlike most conifers in this respect. So if the top dies or is so clearly completely stripped of bark that you decide to cut it off, the tree will sprout from the trunk below the damaged area and re-grow rather rapidly.

As for deer protection? What are you doing? How did this buck get to your tree? I make cages about 3 1/2 feet in diameter out of the heavier grade of woven cattle fencing. I secure it with either stout metal fence posts, or by placing heavy rocks on the bottom rung of the wire. Very rarely does a buck manage to rip this away and get to a protected tree--it may have happened once in 30 years of my experience with several hundred protected trees. I keep my trees protected until they are between 4 and 5 inches in diameter.

I wish I could grow redwoods here! I do have a young giant sequoia, however. It is now large enough to go unprotected!

--Spruce

The bucks do not attract the does, the does attract the bucks. They are rubbing the velvet off of their antlers and your trees make the perfect place.....it will happen the same time every year. I have had them rub the bark of my Dawn Redwoods all the way around.....most lived, but lost a few where it seemed to be rubbed deeper into the bark. Try putting some corrugated pipe around the trunks or attaching a white plastic bag to the lower branches of the trees.....they may be back....deer are creatures of habit.

Thanks - I need to fortify my cages. I'm using 6' tall med/heavy 2" x 3" welded wire cages staked with rebar and tied with zip ties which seems to work. But, I was also using flimsier cages that werenÂt staked so well as a stop-gap on some trees, thinking I had more time before the deer came around. I guess they're on their own schedule.

I appreciate the input.

Conifornia

After thinking about my post here about redwoods sprouting from stumps, I have been thinking more about it. I am not sure how often it happens and what conditions are necessary. I have seen redwoods that have sprouted from stumps. But I have also seen areas of clear cut redwoods where the stumps did not appear to have sprouted .

Can someone tell me more about this?

--Spruce