Saratoga Creek is a north-northeast flowing creek in Santa Clara County, California .
101-609: Saratoga Creek was originally called Arroyo Quito and then Campbell Creek after immigrant William Campbell, who operated a sawmill in 1848 in "Campbell's Redwoods" about three miles west of Saratoga, California , and also a stage station in 1852. The town of Campbell was founded by his son, Benjamin Campbell, in 1885. Other names for the creek included Big Moody Creek and San Jon Creek . The Board of Geographic Names officially decided on Saratoga Creek in May, 1954. Saratoga Creek originates on
202-495: A bedroom community for upper class Silicon Valley tech workers and executives. Saratoga drew notoriety for the suicide of Audrie Pott , a 15-year-old Saratoga High School student, September 2012. The three teenagers charged with sexually assaulting Pott pleaded guilty and served time in juvenile hall for the sexual assault. Saratoga High School is depicted in Steven Spielberg 's 2022 film The Fabelmans . Saratoga
303-524: A post office under the name of McCarthysville . Early residents, who moved to Saratoga in 1881, were Mary Brown (1816–1884), widow of the abolitionist John Brown , her daughters Sarah and Ellen, and the husband of the latter, James Fablinger. All of them are buried in the Madronia Cemetery . The town soon industrialized with the building of a furniture factory, grist mill , tannery , and paper factory. To commemorate this newfound productivity,
404-621: A conical crown , with horizontal to slightly drooping branches. The trunk is remarkably straight. The bark can be very thick, up to 35 cm (1.15 ft), and quite soft and fibrous, with a bright red-brown color when freshly exposed (hence the name redwood), weathering darker. The root system is composed of shallow, wide-spreading lateral roots . The leaves are variable, being 15–25 mm ( 5 ⁄ 8 –1 in) long and flat on young trees and shaded lower branches in older trees. The leaves are scalelike, 5–10 mm ( 1 ⁄ 4 – 3 ⁄ 8 in) long on shoots in full sun in
505-612: A considerable part of the trees' water needs. Fog in the 21st century is, however, reduced from what it was in the prior century, which is a problem that may be compounded by climate change . The northern boundary of its range is marked by two groves on mountain slopes along the north side of the Chetco River , which is on the western fringe of the Klamath Mountains , near the California–Oregon border. The northernmost grove
606-466: A female householder with no husband present, and 17.7% were non-families. 14.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.83 and the average family size was 3.13. The population-age distribution was as follows: 26.0% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 23.8% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
707-451: A healthy tree. Bark is so thick on the bole that bark beetles cannot enter there. However, the canopy branches have thin bark (see photo at right) that native bark beetles are able to bore into for egg-laying and larval growth via tunnels. Redwoods also face herbivory from mammals: black bears are reported to consume the inner bark of small redwoods, and black-tailed deer are known to eat redwood sprouts. The oldest known coast redwood
808-522: A lack of lowland passages through the Oregon Coast Range north of the Chetco River , coupled with the absence of coastal landscapes beyond storm salt-spray and tsunami inundation — for which this conifer species is highly intolerant. The native area provides a unique environment with heavy seasonal rains up to 2,500 mm (100 in) annually. Cool coastal air and fog drip keep the forest consistently damp year round. Several factors, including
909-812: A main trunk volume of 1,033 m (36,470 cu ft), and the Lost Monarch , with a main trunk volume of 988.7 m (34,914 cu ft). Albino redwoods are mutants that cannot manufacture chlorophyll . About 230 examples (including growths and sprouts) are known to exist, reaching heights of up to 20 m (66 ft). These trees survive like parasites , obtaining food from green parent trees. While similar mutations occur sporadically in other conifers, no cases are known of such individuals surviving to maturity in any other conifer species. Recent research news reports that albino redwoods can store higher concentrations of toxic metals, going so far as comparing them to organs or "waste dumps". Heights of
1010-561: A more storied role than the Pacific Lumber Company (1863–2008) of Humboldt County, California, where it owned and managed over 810 km (200,000 acres) of forests, primarily redwood. Coast redwood lumber is highly valued for its beauty, light weight, and resistance to decay. Its lack of resin makes it absorb water and resist fire. P. H. Shaughnessy, Chief Engineer of the San Francisco Fire Department wrote: In
1111-580: A narrow strip of land approximately 750 km (470 mi) in length and 8–75 km (5–47 mi) in width along the Pacific coast of North America; the most southerly native grove is in Monterey County, California , and the most northerly groves are in extreme southwestern Oregon. The aforementioned qualification of "native" is because the species was introduced to various locations in Victoria, Australia , in
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#17328838313281212-494: A national news outlet published a lengthy article that cast a favorable light on their efforts. The New York Times Magazine wrote: Not wanting to cause ecological problems by planting the trees across the Pacific Northwest, [Philip] Stielstra would eventually contact one of the foremost experts on the coast redwood, a botanist and forest ecologist named Stephen Sillett , at Cal Poly Humboldt, and ask if moving redwoods north
1313-616: A portion of Saratoga). Private schools in the area include Challenger School, Saint Andrew's School , and Sacred Heart School . West Valley Community College provides college-level education in the district whilst the Santa Clara County Library District operates the Saratoga Library. The original alignment of Highway 85 along Saratoga- Sunnyvale Road was deleted in 1994 when the West Valley Freeway
1414-434: A redwood tree below the soil line, though usually within 3 m (10 ft) in depth from the soil surface. Coast redwoods develop burls as seedlings from the axils of their cotyledon , a trait that is extremely rare in conifers. When provoked by damage, dormant buds in the burls sprout new shoots and roots. Burls are also capable of sprouting into new trees when detached from the parent tree, though exactly how this happens
1515-574: A regional news article that, once again, showed strong support as well as bold statements by the group's founder. Even before the controversy developed in Washington state, professionals in Canada were documenting horticultural plantings of the California species already in place in southwestern British Columbia . In 2022 a Canadian Forestry Service publication used northward horticultural plantings, along with
1616-462: A review of research detailing redwood's paleobiogeography and current range conditions, as grounds for proposing that Canada's Vancouver Island already offered "narrow strips of optimal habitat" for extending the range of coast redwood. The authors point to a topographical "bottleneck" north of the California border that could have impeded northward migration during the Holocene. The bottleneck entails
1717-511: A settlement at what is now Saratoga when William Campbell (father of Benjamin Campbell, the founder of nearby Campbell, California ), constructed a sawmill about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southeast of the present downtown area. An early map noted the area as Campbell's Gap. In 1851, Martin McCarthy, who had leased the mill, built a toll road down to the Santa Clara Valley , and founded what
1818-556: A sign of reticulate evolution (in which two species hybridize and give rise to a third) among the three genera. However, the long evolutionary history of the three genera (the earliest fossil remains being from the Jurassic ) make resolving the specifics of when and how Sequoia originated once and for all a difficult matter—especially since it in part depends on an incomplete fossil record. The species name "sempervirens" means "evergreen", thought to be because of its previous placement in
1919-485: A variety of amphibians, birds, mammals, and reptiles. Old-growth redwood stands provide habitat for the federally threatened spotted owl and the California-endangered marbled murrelet . The height of S. sempervirens is closely tied to fog availability; taller trees become less frequent as fog becomes less frequent. As S. sempervirens ' height increases, transporting water via water potential to
2020-672: A viability of about 1%, and do not generally reach the highest levels of viability until age 250. The rates decrease as the tree starts to get very old, with trees over 1,200 not reaching viability rates over 3%. The low viability may discourage seed predators, which do not want to waste time sorting chaff (empty seeds) from edible seeds. Successful germination often requires a fire or flood, reducing competition for seedlings. The winged seeds are small and light, weighing 3.3–5.0 mg (200–300 seeds/g; 5,600–8,500/ounce). The wings are not effective for wide dispersal, and seeds are dispersed by wind an average of only 60–120 m (200–390 ft) from
2121-898: Is a Castor canadensis subauratus skull in the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History collected by zoologist James Graham Cooper in Santa Clara, California on Dec. 31, 1855. Cooper lived in Mountain View, California from October to December 1855 and collected most of his specimens on Saratoga Creek (then Quito Creek ). The upper portions of the Saratoga Creek watershed are vegetated with broadleaved upland forest, especially mixed evergreen forest, including Coast redwood ( Sequoia sempervirens ) and Coast Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii ), and chaparral. Common riparian tree species along
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#17328838313282222-813: Is a very affluent neighborhood with 1-acre (4,000 m ) minimum lots, west of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and up into the hills. The downtown area along Big Basin Way is known as the Village. The 2010 United States census reported that Saratoga had a population of 29,926. The population density was 2,416.9 inhabitants per square mile (933.2/km ). The racial makeup of Saratoga was 16,125 (53.9%) White , 94 (0.3%) African American , 41 (0.1%) Native American , 12,376 (41.4%) Asian , 23 (0.1%) Pacific Islander , 202 (0.7%) from other races , and 1,065 (3.6%) from two or more races. There were 1,034 Hispanic or Latino residents of any race (3.5%). The census reported that 29,727 people (99.3% of
2323-475: Is about 2,200 years old; many others in the wild exceed 600 years. The numerous claims of older redwoods are incorrect. Because of their seemingly timeless lifespans, coast redwoods were deemed the "everlasting redwood" at the turn of the century; in Latin , sempervirens means "ever green" or "everlasting". Redwoods must endure various environmental disturbances to attain such great ages. In response to forest fires,
2424-457: Is absorbed through multiple pathways. Leaves directly take in fog from the surrounding air through the epidermal tissue , bypassing the xylem . Coast redwoods also absorb water directly through their bark. The uptake of water through leaves and bark repairs and reduces the severity of xylem embolisms, which occur when cavitations form in the xylem preventing the transport of water and nutrients. Fog may also collect on redwood leaves, drip to
2525-841: Is bordered by Cupertino and San Jose to the north, a small portion of Campbell and Los Gatos to the east, and Monte Sereno to the southeast. Saratoga is located at 37°16′21″N 122°01′10″W / 37.272443°N 122.019538°W / 37.272443; -122.019538 . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 12.4 square miles (32 km ), all of it land. Within its borders, Saratoga includes lush redwood forests , foothills suitable for wine grapes and sunny valley floor once covered with prune and apricot orchards , now with suburban homes, schools and churches . Neighborhoods in Saratoga include Brookview and Pride's Crossing in
2626-473: Is in late winter with maturation about 8–9 months after. Each cone scale bears three to seven seeds , each seed 3–4 mm ( 1 ⁄ 8 – 3 ⁄ 16 in) long and 0.5 mm ( 1 ⁄ 32 in) broad, with two wings 1 mm ( 1 ⁄ 16 in) wide. The seeds are released when the cone scales dry and open at maturity. The pollen cones are ovular and 4–6 mm ( 3 ⁄ 16 – 1 ⁄ 4 in) long. Its genetic makeup
2727-519: Is insufficient to transport water to leaves beyond this range. Further studies have indicated that this maximum requires fog, which is prevalent in these trees' natural environment. A tree reportedly 114.3 m (375 ft) in length was felled in Sonoma County by the Murphy Brothers saw mill in the 1870s, another claimed to be 115.8 m (380 ft) and 7.9 m (26 ft) in diameter
2828-751: Is located within Alfred A. Loeb State Park and Siskiyou National Forest at the approximate coordinates 42°07'36"N 124°12'17"W. The southern boundary of its range is the Los Padres National Forest 's Silver Peak Wilderness in the Santa Lucia Mountains of the Big Sur area of Monterey County, California. The southernmost grove is in the Southern Redwood Botanical Area , just north of the national forest's Salmon Creek trailhead and near
2929-465: Is now Saratoga as McCarthysville . The toll gate was located at the present-day intersection of Big Basin Way and 3rd St., giving the town its first widely used name: Toll Gate . During the Civil War a woman showed her support for the south by wearing a Confederate Flag with the motto "Shall we not protect our cotton?” to a local ball . This caused quite stir in the area. In 1867 the town received
3030-477: Is regular. The terrain also made it harder for loggers to get to the trees and to get them out after felling . The trees above the fog layer, above about 700 m (2,300 ft), are shorter and smaller due to the drier, windier, and colder conditions. In addition, Douglas-fir , pine , and tanoak often crowd out redwoods at these elevations. Few redwoods grow close to the ocean, due to intense salt spray, sand, and wind. Coalescence of coastal fog accounts for
3131-692: Is the Hyperion tree , measuring 115.61 m (379.3 ft). The tree was discovered in Redwood National Park during mid-2006 by Chris Atkins and Michael Taylor , and is thought to be the world's tallest living organism. The previous record holder was the Stratosphere Giant in Humboldt Redwoods State Park at 112.84 m (370.2 ft) (as measured in 2004). Until it fell in March 1991,
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3232-475: Is the last remaining prune ranch home in Saratoga and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 1, 1993. After World War II the town quickly became urbanized , and it incorporated in 1956 mostly to avoid being annexed by San Jose . A slogan during the campaign to incorporate the city of Saratoga was "Keep it rural," according to historian Willys I. Peck. Today the city serves as
3333-473: Is the sole living species of the genus Sequoia in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae ). Common names include coast redwood , coastal redwood and California redwood . It is an evergreen , long-lived, monoecious tree living 1,200–2,200 years or more. This species includes the tallest living trees on Earth, reaching up to 115.9 m (380.1 ft) in height (without
3434-434: Is unusual among conifers, being a hexaploid (6n) and possibly allopolyploid (AAAABB). Both the mitochondrial and chloroplast genomes of the redwood are paternally inherited . Scottish botanist David Don described the redwood as Taxodium sempervirens , the "evergreen Taxodium ", in his colleague Aylmer Bourke Lambert 's 1824 work A description of the genus Pinus . Austrian botanist Stephan Endlicher erected
3535-425: Is yet to be studied. Shoot clones commonly sprout from burls and are often turned into decorative hedges when found in suburbia. Coast redwood is one of the most valuable timber species in the lumbering industry. In California, 3,640 km (899,000 acres) of redwood forest are logged, virtually all of it second growth. Though many entities have existed in the cutting and management of redwoods, perhaps none has had
3636-532: The California Academy of Sciences , William P. Gibbons (1812-1897) described in 1893 the hollow shell of a coast redwood in the Oakland Hills of Alameda County with diameter of 9.9 metres (32 ft) at breast height. This tree's girth is rivalled by the " Fieldbrook Stump" of Humboldt County with a diameter of 9.8 metres (32 ft) at 1.5 metres (4.9 ft) from the ground. Coast redwoods have
3737-623: The Guadalupe River upstream of Alviso . Saratoga Creek and Calabazas Creek were disconnected from the Guadalupe River, and San Tomas Aquino Creek was extended directly into Guadalupe Slough by 1876, making Saratoga Creek its tributary. Calabazas Creek was detached from Saratoga Creek and re-routed directly into Guadalupe Slough at this time as well. The historic watershed can be viewed in the Thompson and West 1876 maps. The Guadalupe Slough carries
3838-679: The Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District , Fremont Union High School District and Campbell Union High School District . These districts provide a number of high schools including Saratoga High School , Monta Vista High School (located in Cupertino but servicing a portion of Saratoga), Lynbrook High School (located in San Jose but servicing a portion of Saratoga as well), Prospect High School and Westmont High School (located in Campbell but servicing
3939-531: The Pacific Northwest , led to the formation of a citizen group in Seattle, Washington undertaking assisted migration of this species hundreds of miles north of its native range . In contrast to cautionary statements made by forestry professionals assessing other tree species for assisted migration, the citizens involved with the group known as PropagationNation had met with little controversy until in 2023
4040-471: The Royal Horticultural Society 's Award of Garden Merit . Fairly solid evidence indicates that coast redwoods were the world's largest trees before logging, with numerous historical specimens reportedly over 122 m (400 ft). The theoretical maximum potential height of coast redwoods is thought to be limited to between 122 and 130 m (400 and 427 ft), as evapotranspiration
4141-659: The San Luis Obispo County line. The largest and tallest populations are in California's Redwood National and State Parks ( Del Norte and Humboldt counties) and Humboldt Redwoods State Park , with the overall majority located in the large Humboldt County. The ancient range of the genus is considerably greater, with relatives of the coast redwood living in Europe and Asia prior to the Quaternary geologic period. In recent geologic time there have been considerable shifts in
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4242-444: The roots ) and up to 8.9 m (29 ft) in diameter at breast height . These trees are also among the longest-living trees on Earth . Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 810,000 ha (2,000,000 acres) along much of coastal California (excluding southern California where rainfall is not sufficient) and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within
4343-503: The "Dyerville Giant" was the record holder. It, too, stood in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and was 113.4 m (372 ft) high and estimated to be 1,600 years old. This fallen giant has been preserved in the park. The largest known living coast redwood is Grogan's Fault, discovered in 2014 by Chris Atkins and Mario Vaden in Redwood National Park, with a main trunk volume of at least 1,084.5 cubic meters (38,299 cu ft) Other high-volume coast redwoods include Iluvatar , with
4444-445: The 1930s for experimental reasons and have since flourished. The prevailing native elevation range is 30–750 m (100–2,460 ft) above sea level, occasionally down to 0 and up to about 900 m (3,000 ft). They usually grow in the mountains where precipitation from the incoming moisture off the ocean is greater. The tallest and oldest trees are found in deep valleys and gullies, where year-round streams can flow, and fog drip
4545-483: The Golden Triangle is a neighborhood known as Saratoga Woods, a small community located behind Prospect High School north of Cox. Bellgrove Circle is a popular neighborhood located next to highway 85. The land of Bellgrove Circle, once used as a vineyard, was previously owned by Paul Masson Winery and is east of Saratoga Avenue and north of Rt 85. Kentfield is south of Rt 85 and also east of Saratoga Avenue. Parker Ranch
4646-670: The San Francisco Bay Area Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County , California, United States. Located in Silicon Valley , in the southern Bay Area , its population was 31,051 at the 2020 census. Saratoga is known for its wineries and restaurants. The area comprising Saratoga was earlier inhabited by the Ohlone Native Americans. In 1847, European settlers created
4747-624: The Sportsman Gazetteer touted the Congress Springs ("Congress Hall") tributary to San Franciscans for trout fishing. J. O. Snyder reported steelhead trout in Campbell Creek (now Saratoga Creek) in 1905. An impassable barrier at the confluence of San Tomas Aquino and Saratoga Creeks prevents salmonid fish passage to both creeks. However, stream resident rainbow trout are still found in Saratoga Creek. Recent genetic analysis has shown that
4848-481: The United States. Being the tallest tree species, with a small range and an extremely long lifespan, many redwoods are preserved in various state and national parks; many of the largest specimens have their own official names. The name sequoia sometimes refers to the subfamily Sequoioideae , which includes S. sempervirens along with Sequoiadendron (giant sequoia) and Metasequoia (dawn redwood). Here,
4949-417: The accumulation of dense undergrowth and woody debris. Thus, even a naturally occurring ground fire could threaten to spread upwards and become a canopy fire spreading uncontrollably over a widening area. Coast redwood reproduces both sexually by seed and asexually by sprouting of buds, layering, or lignotubers . Seed production begins at 10–15 years of age. Cones develop in the winter and mature by fall. In
5050-530: The alluvial plain of the Santa Clara Valley, through the cities of San Jose and Santa Clara characterized by high-density residential neighborhoods. Saratoga Creek now joins San Tomas Aquino Creek shortly before joining the Guadalupe Slough and south San Francisco Bay . However, historically San Tomas Aquino Creek and Calabazas Creek were tributaries to Saratoga Creek, which was in turn a tributary of
5151-497: The canopy, where branch bark is thin and leaves are vulnerable. In the millions of years that predated human evolution, this level of protection worked well against natural fires originating from lightning strikes. When the first humans arrived in North America, redwoods thrived in regions where ground fires were intentionally set by indigenous populations on a seasonal basis. However, when peoples arrived from other continents in
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#17328838313285252-444: The circumference of the tree trunk. Within a short period after sprouting, each sprout develops its own root system, with the dominant sprouts forming a ring of trees around the parent root crown or stump. This ring of trees is called a "fairy ring". Sprouts can achieve heights of 2.3 m (7 ft 7 in) in a single growing season. Redwoods may also reproduce using burls . A burl is a woody lignotuber that commonly appears on
5353-465: The city are established by state law. It has a council–manager form of government. The current mayor is Yan Zhao, and the Vice Mayor is Belal Aftab. The other current council members are Kookie Fitzsimmons, Chuck Page, and Tina Walia. The Saratoga City Council has had to make many controversial decisions in a community with residents known to be protectionist of their existing exclusivity. The council
5454-403: The city was 67.39% White , 0.39% African American , 0.15% Native American , 29.08% Asian , 0.08% Pacific Islander , 0.57% from other races , and 2.33% from two or more races. 3.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 10,450 households, out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 75.0% were married couples living together, 4.9% had
5555-553: The coast redwood's range in North America. Coast redwood bark has been found in the La Brea Tar Pits , showing that 25,000–40,000 years before the present redwood trees grew as far south as the Los Angeles during the last ice age . The authors of a 2022 paper suggest, "Were it not for the remarkable ability to sprout after fire, many southern forests may have lost their Sequoia component long ago." As to previous redwood range to
5656-517: The early nineteenth century. The trees were felled by ax and saw onto beds of tree limbs and shrubs to cushion their fall. Stripped of their bark, the logs were transported to mills or waterways by oxen or horse. Loggers then burned the accumulated tree limbs, shrubs, and bark. The repeated fires favored secondary forests of primarily redwoods as redwood seedlings sprout readily in burned areas. The introduction of steam engines let crews drag logs through long skid trails to nearby railroads, furthering
5757-466: The early stages, the cones look like flowers , and are commonly called "flowers" by professional foresters, although this is not strictly correct. Coast redwoods produce many cones, with redwoods in new forests producing thousands per year. The cones themselves hold 90–150 seeds, but viability of seed is low, typically well below 15% with one estimate of average rates being 3 to 10 percent. The viability does increase with age, trees under 20 years old have
5858-568: The famous Congress Hall resort in Saratoga Springs , New York . California's Congress Hall resort at Congress Springs attracted tourists to the area until it burned down in 1903. Most of Saratoga Creek contains natural channel with some modifications (e.g., gabion walls) and a few sections of hardened channel. Historically steelhead trout (coastal rainbow trout) ( Oncorhyncus mykiss irideus ) migrated from San Francisco Bay to spawn in Saratoga Creek and its tributaries. An 1877 report in
5959-512: The flows of San Thomas Aquino, Calabazas, and Saratoga Creeks out into south San Francisco Bay, passing just to the east of the Sunnyvale Water Pollution Control Ponds. Major tributaries include Booker, Bonjetti and Congress Springs Creeks. Tributaries of Bonjetti Creek include McElroy Creek, Todd Creek, and Sanborn Creek. Congress Springs Creek was also known as Congress Hall Creek and is named for Congress Springs and
6060-541: The forest floor, and be absorbed by the tree's roots. This fog drip may form 30% of the total water used by a tree in a year. Redwoods often grow in flood-prone areas. Sediment deposits can form impermeable barriers that suffocate tree roots, and unstable soil in flooded areas often causes trees to lean to one side, increasing the risk of the wind toppling them. Immediately after a flood, redwoods grow their existing roots upwards into recently deposited sediment layers. A second root system then develops from adventitious buds on
6161-413: The genus Sequoia in his 1847 work Synopsis coniferarum , giving the redwood its current binomial name of Sequoia sempervirens . It is unknown how Endlicher derived the name Sequoia. See Sequoia Etymology . The redwood is one of three living species, each in its own genus, in the subfamily Sequoioideae . Molecular studies have shown that the three are each other's closest relatives, generally with
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#17328838313286262-455: The heavy rainfall, create a soil with fewer nutrients than the trees need, causing them to depend heavily on the entire biotic community of the forest, and making efficient recycling of dead trees especially important. This forest community includes coast Douglas-fir , Pacific madrone , tanoak , western hemlock , and other trees, along with a wide variety of ferns , mosses , mushrooms , and redwood sorrel . Redwood forests provide habitat for
6363-493: The leaves becomes increasingly difficult due to gravity. Despite the high rainfall that the region receives (up to 100 cm), the leaves in the upper canopy are perpetually stressed for water. This water stress is exacerbated by long droughts in the summer. Water stress is believed to cause the morphological changes in the leaves, stimulating reduced leaf length and increased leaf succulence. To supplement their water needs, redwoods use frequent summer fog events. Fog water
6464-517: The magnificent trees regain lost territory. In December 2023, the Associated Press exclusively reported criticism from professionals in the region and nationally: While beginning to favor experiments in assisted population migration of more southerly genetics of the main native timber tree, Douglas-fir , professionals were united against large-scale plantings of California redwoods into the Pacific Northwest. The next month, January 2024, carried
6565-736: The nearby Permanente Quarry . The rail line travels parallel to Route 85. Passenger trains, including the Peninsular Railway , operated starting in 1908, delivering commuters to San Francisco in 90 minutes. Saratoga currently has no passenger train service; it has minimal bus service. Saratoga also has a zoning code aimed at preserving a semi-rural appearance. Saratoga emphasizes its semi-rural appearance by foregoing street lights and sidewalks on most residential streets. This contributes to Saratoga's high housing costs. Sequoia sempervirens Sequoia sempervirens ( / s ə ˈ k w ɔɪ . ə ˌ s ɛ m p ər ˈ v aɪ r ən z / )
6666-580: The newly buried trunk and the old root system dies. To counter lean, redwoods increase wood production on the vulnerable side, creating a supporting buttress. These adaptations create forests of almost exclusively redwood trees in flood-prone regions. Coast redwoods are resistant to insect attack, fungal infection, and rot. These properties are conferred by concentrations of terpenoids and tannic acid in redwood leaves, roots, bark, and wood. Despite these chemical defenses, redwoods are still subject to insect infestations; none, however, are capable of killing
6767-494: The north part of the city, Blue Hills and Greenbrier in the northwest area, and Congress Springs in the southwestern corner of Saratoga. The Golden Triangle, a name invented by real estate agents, is an area bounded by Saratoga Avenue, Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road and Cox Avenue. The Golden Triangle consists mostly of four-bedroom ranch homes (with values ranging from between $ 1 and $ 3 million) on quarter acre lots that are gradually being replaced by Mediterranean custom designs. Northeast of
6868-531: The north, an upright fossil stump of a coast redwood on a beach in central Oregon was documented 257 km (160 mi) north of the current range. The ability of Coast Redwood to live for more than a thousand years, along with its unusual capacity to resprout from its root crown when felled by natural or human causes, have earned this species the label of "carbon-sequestration champion." Its potential to contribute toward climate change mitigation , as well as its demonstrated ability to thrive in coastal regions of
6969-598: The northeastern slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains along Castle Rock Ridge at an elevation of 3,100 feet (940 m). The mainstem flows for approximately 4.5 miles (7.2 km) in an eastern direction through forested terrain, largely contained within Sanborn County Park . It continues for about 1.5 miles through the low-density residential foothill region of the City of Saratoga and then for another 8 miles along
7070-518: The parent tree. Seedlings are susceptible to fungal infection and predation by banana slugs , brush rabbits , and nematodes . Most seedlings do not survive their first three years. However, those that become established grow rapidly, with young trees known to reach 20 m (66 ft) tall in 20 years. When canopy space is not available, small trees can remain suppressed for up to 400 years before accelerating their growth rate. Coast redwoods can also reproduce asexually by layering or sprouting from
7171-411: The past few centuries, indigenous fire practices were disallowed — even in the few places where the first peoples were permitted to continue living. Flammable brush and young trees thus accumulated. Clearcut logging further hampered a return to a fire-resistant tall canopy. Governmental policies aimed at suppressing all natural and human-caused fires, even in parks and wilderness areas, amplified
7272-418: The population were below the poverty line , including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 2.6% over 64. The 2016 Coldwell Banker Home Listing Report listed Saratoga as the most expensive housing market in the United States. In 2010, Bloomberg Businessweek named Saratoga the most expensive suburb in California. According to CNN Money , 70.42% of Saratoga households have an income greater than $ 100,000. Saratoga
7373-644: The population) lived in households, 34 (0.1%) lived in non-institutionalized group quarters, and 165 (0.6%) were institutionalized. There were 10,734 households, out of which 4,024 (37.5%) had children under the age of 18 living in them, 7,893 (73.5%) were opposite-sex married couples living together, 608 (5.7%) had a female householder with no husband present, 213 (2.0%) had a male householder with no wife present. There were 159 (1.5%) unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 44 (0.4%) same-sex married couples or partnerships . 1,740 households (16.2%) were made up of individuals, and 1,115 (10.4%) had someone living alone who
7474-561: The population) lived in owner-occupied housing units and 3,526 people (11.8%) lived in rental housing units. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek reported that the average household income was $ 237,804 with an average household net worth of $ 1,516,018. As of the census of 2000, there were 29,843 people, 10,450 households, and 8,600 families residing in the city. The population density was 951.5 people/km (2,464 people/sq mi). There were 10,649 housing units at an average density of 339.5 units/km (879 units/sq mi). The racial makeup of
7575-466: The reach of loggers beyond the land near rivers previously used to transport trees. This method of harvesting, however, disturbed large amounts of soil, producing secondary-growth forests of species other than redwood such as Douglas-fir, grand fir , and western hemlock. After World War II, trucks and tractors gradually replaced steam engines, giving rise to two harvesting approaches: clearcutting and selection harvesting. Clearcutting involved felling all
7676-424: The recent great fire of San Francisco, that began April 18th, 1906, we succeeded in finally stopping it in nearly all directions where the unburned buildings were almost entirely of frame construction, and if the exterior finish of these buildings had not been of redwood lumber, I am satisfied that the area of the burned district would have been greatly extended. Because of its impressive resistance to decay, redwood
7777-436: The redwood and giant sequoia ( Sequoiadendron giganteum ) as each other's closest relatives. However, Yang and colleagues in 2010 queried the polyploid state of the redwood and speculate that it may have arisen as an ancient hybrid between ancestors of the giant sequoia and dawn redwood ( Metasequoia ). Using two different single copy nuclear genes , LFY and NLY, to generate phylogenetic trees , they found that Sequoia
7878-399: The root crown, stump, or even fallen branches; if a tree falls over, it generates a row of new trees along the trunk, so many trees naturally grow in a straight line. Sprouts originate from dormant or adventitious buds at or under the surface of the bark. The dormant sprouts are stimulated when the main adult stem gets damaged or starts to die. Many sprouts spontaneously erupt and develop around
7979-449: The same genus as Taxodium distichum (baldcypress) of the southeastern USA. Unlike coast redwood, baldcypress loses its leaves in winter. The common name "redwood", applied to both the coast redwood and the giant redwood, is a reference to the red heartwood of the trees. Common names that refer to Sequoia sempervirens alone include "California redwood", "coastal redwood", "coastal sequoia", and "coast redwood". Coast redwoods occupy
8080-668: The southeastern United States from eastern Texas to Maryland. It also does well in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia), far north of its northernmost native range in southwestern Oregon. Coast redwood trees were used in a display at Rockefeller Center and then given to Longhouse Reserve in East Hampton, Long Island, New York, and these have now been living there for over twenty years and have survived at 2 °F (−17 °C). This fast-growing tree can be grown as an ornamental specimen in those large parks and gardens that can accommodate its massive size. It has gained
8181-452: The springs, named after the famous resort Congress Hall at Saratoga Springs, New York. California's Congress Hall attracted tourists to the area until it burned down in 1903. These events would eventually lead to Saratoga being listed as a California Historical Landmark in 1950. Saratoga became agricultural , as did much of the rest of the valley; a few vineyards and orchards from this period remain today. The Miller-Melone Ranch
8282-425: The successful germination of redwood seeds. A study published in 2010, the first to compare post-wildfire survival and regeneration of redwood and associated species, concluded that fires of all severity increase the relative abundance of redwood, and higher-severity fires provide the greatest benefit. Self-pruning of its lower limbs as height is gained is a crucial adaptation to prevent ground fires from rising into
8383-421: The surviving rainbow trout are of native origin and not hatchery stock. Recently, three of the originally native fish species have been collected from the creek including California roach ( Lavinia symmetricus ), Sacramento sucker ( Catostomus occidentalis occidentalis ) and rainbow trout . Physical proof of the historic presence of Golden beaver ( Castor canadensis ) in south San Francisco Bay tributaries
8484-453: The term redwood on its own refers to the species covered in this article but not to the other two species. The coast redwood normally reaches a height of 60 to 100 m (200 to 330 ft), but will be more than 110 m (360 ft) in extraordinary circumstances, with a trunk diameter of 9 m (30 ft). Historically, the American naturalist , physician and founder member of
8585-460: The town was renamed again in 1863 as Bank Mills . In the 1850s, Jud Caldwell discovered springs which were called Pacific Congress Springs because the water had a mineral content similar to Congress Springs in Saratoga Springs , New York . In 1865 the town received its final name, Saratoga , after the city in New York. At the same time a resort hotel called Congress Hall was constructed at
8686-450: The trees have developed various adaptations. The thick, fibrous bark of coast redwoods is extremely fire-resistant; it grows to at least a foot thick and protects mature trees from fire damage. In addition, the redwoods contain little flammable pitch or resin . Fires, moreover, appear to actually benefit redwoods by causing substantial mortality in competing species, while having only minor effects on redwood. Burned areas are favorable to
8787-501: The trees in a particular area. It was encouraged by tax laws that exempted all standing timber from taxation if 70% of trees in the area were harvested. Selection logging, by contrast, called for the removal 25% to 50% of mature trees in the hopes that the remaining trees would allow for future growth and reseeding. This method, however, encouraged growth of other tree species, converting redwood forests into mixed forests of redwood, grand fir, Sitka spruce , and western hemlock. Moreover,
8888-472: The trees left standing were often felled by windthrow ; that is, they were often blown over by the wind. The coast redwood is naturalized in New Zealand, notably at Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua . Redwood has been grown in New Zealand plantations for more than 100 years, and those planted in New Zealand have higher growth rates than those in California, mainly because of even rainfall distribution through
8989-517: The upper crown of older trees, with a full range of transition between the two extremes. They are dark green above and have two blue-white stomatal bands below. Leaf arrangement is spiral, but the larger shade leaves are twisted at the base to lie in a flat plane for maximum light capture. The species is monoecious , with pollen and seed cones on the same plant. The seed cones are ovoid, 15–32 mm ( 9 ⁄ 16 – 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 in) long, with 15–25 spirally arranged scales; pollination
9090-518: The upper reaches of Saratoga Creek include White alder ( Alnus rhombifolia ), Big Leaf maple ( Acer macrophyllum ), and California bay ( Umbellularia californica ). Native riparian plant species occurring along the lower portions of Saratoga Creek (from Monroe Street to Lawrence Expressway) include arroyo willow, box elder, Fremont cottonwood, western sycamore, red willow, yellow willow, blue elderberry, coffeeberry, coyote brush, and mule fat. Nonnative weedy species are common. List of watercourses in
9191-655: The year. Other areas of successful cultivation outside of the native range include Great Britain, Italy, France, Haida Gwaii , middle elevations of Hawaii, Hogsback in South Africa, the Knysna Afromontane forests in the Western Cape, Grootvadersbosch Forest Reserve near Swellendam, South Africa and the Tokai Arboretum on the slopes of Table Mountain above Cape Town, a small area in central Mexico ( Jilotepec ), and
9292-414: Was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. According to a 2007 estimate the median income for a household in the city was $ 137,270, and the median income for a family was $ 159,765. Males had a median income of $ 75,000 versus $ 66,240 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 65,400. About 1.8% of families and 2.8% of
9393-417: Was 47.8 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males. There were 11,123 housing units at an average density of 898.3 units per square mile (346.8 units/km ), of which 9,258 (86.2%) were owner-occupied, and 1,476 (13.8%) were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate was 0.7%; the rental vacancy rate was 4.3%. 26,201 people (87.6% of
9494-410: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77. There were 8,714 families (81.2% of all households); the average family size was 3.11. In Saratoga, 7,173 people (24.0%) were under the age of 18, 1,390 people (4.6%) were aged 18 to 24, 4,678 people (15.6%) were aged 25 to 44, 10,598 people (35.4%) aged 45 to 64, and 6,087 people (20.3%) who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
9595-910: Was a leader in dealing with the unfunded pension crisis in California. In the California State Legislature , Saratoga is in the 15th Senate District , represented by Democrat Dave Cortese , and in the 23rd Assembly District , represented by Democrat Marc Berman . In the United States House of Representatives , Saratoga is in California's 16th congressional district , represented by Democrat Anna Eshoo . Various public school districts serve Saratoga. At elementary level (grades K to 8) these include Saratoga Union School District , Campbell Union School District , Cupertino Union School District and Moreland School District . High school districts that serve Saratoga include
9696-523: Was clustered with Metasequoia in the tree generated using the LFY gene, but with Sequoiadendron in the tree generated with the NLY gene. Further analysis strongly supported the hypothesis that Sequoia was the result of a hybridization event involving Metasequoia and Sequoiadendron . Thus, Yang and colleagues hypothesize that the inconsistent relationships among Metasequoia , Sequoia, and Sequoiadendron could be
9797-404: Was completed, and it passes through northeast Saratoga. Highway 85 has one onramp/offramp within the city, at Saratoga Avenue; while the original plans for the freeway also included exits at Quito Road and Prospect Avenue, objections by residents kept those interchanges from being constructed. Street signs are brown in color. The Union Pacific Railroad operates freight through the town, servicing
9898-999: Was cut down near Eureka in 1914, and the Lindsay Creek Tree was documented to have a height of 120 m (390 ft) when it was uprooted and felled by a storm in 1905. A tree reportedly 129.2 m (424 ft) tall was felled in November 1886 by the Elk River Mill and Lumber Company in Humboldt County, yielding 79,736 marketable board feet from 21 cuts. In 1893, a Redwood cut at the Eel River , near Scotia , reportedly measured 130.1 m (427 ft) in length, and 23.5 m (77 ft) in girth. However, limited evidence corroborates these historical measurements. Today, trees over 60 m (200 ft) are common, and many are over 90 m (300 ft). The current tallest tree
9999-610: Was extensively used for railroad ties and trestles throughout California. Many of the old ties have been recycled for use in gardens as borders, steps, house beams, etc. Redwood burls are used in the production of table tops, veneers, and turned goods. The Yurok people, who occupied the region before European settlement, regularly burned ground cover in redwood forests to bolster tanoak populations from which they harvested acorns, to maintain forest openings, and to boost populations of useful plant species such as those for medicine or basketmaking. Extensive logging of redwoods began in
10100-532: Was ranked by Forbes in 2009 as one of America's top 20 most-educated small towns. Bloomberg Businessweek named Saratoga's zip code 95070 the 18th richest zip code in America in 2011. In 2018, data from the American Community Survey revealed that Saratoga was the 8th wealthiest city in the United States. Saratoga is a general law city under California law , meaning that the organization and powers of
10201-402: Was safe. Sillett thought planting redwoods around Seattle was a fantastic idea. ("It's not like it's going to escape and become a nuisance species," Sillett told me, before adding, "it just has so many benefits.") Another factor encouraged Stielstra too: Millions of years ago, redwoods — or their close relatives — grew across the Pacific Northwest. By moving them, Stielstra reasoned, he was helping
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