On the Pier 84 lawn in Hudson River Park, you’ll find the Park’s tallest tree, a 55 ft. Dawn redwood. Visitors often ask our gardeners if these trees are dead in the winter, since they are one of the few conifer varietals that lose their needles in winter. But rest assured, these trees are growing strong!
Origin: China
Lifespan: 600 years
Height: Up to 160 feet
What makes dawn redwoods unique:
- This tree was thought to be extinct for millions of years, known only through fossils. In the 1940s, the species was rediscovered in China and is known as a “living fossil.”
- The dawn redwood can grow very fast, reaching heights of up to 50 feet in only 15
- Dawn redwoods sprout new stems from their trunks when cut
- Dawn redwoods are deciduous, meaning they lose their needles in the winter, unlike other conifers.
