In art, a palimpsest is a work that involves the removal of a medium from a surface and replacing it with a new layer while leaving a trace of the original.
Redwood bark grows through a layer of living tissue called the cambium, which is located just beneath the existing bark; this cambium continuously produces new bark cells that gradually expand outward, thickening the bark as the tree matures, allowing it to heal from injuries and wounds by growing new bark over the damaged area; this process is particularly important for redwoods due to their ability to regenerate even after fire damage.
Redwoods have very thick bark to increase their fire resistance.
The bark is also the home of lichen, insects, and animals
Redwood is not just a tree.
It interacts with its environment.
It acts as a complex ecosystem.
It supports a vast array of other organisms within its canopy and on its branches, creating mini-forests that include plants, fungi, and animals, essentially functioning as a living environment far beyond just the tree itself.
Redwood is more than just a single plant.
It's a Palimpsest
And
A living forest in itself
We are to a palimpsest of identities and stories.