Giant sequoia or Wellingtonia fir.
Giant sequoias are the world’s largest single trees and grow to an average height of 50–85 m (164–279 ft) and 6–8 m (20–26 ft) in diameter. Most of the wellintonia fir I use comes from Simons Wood near Finchampstead Ridges. Finchampstead Ridges formed part of the Bear Wood estate of John Walter, a Berkshire MP and proprietor of the Times newspaper who was responsible for building Wellingtonia avenue in 1863. Six years later he planted the avenue of Wellingtonia trees. These trees are around 150 feet tall and are a type of Sequoia, native to the Pacific Northwest of the USA, first brought to Britain in 1853. Fallen Wellingtonia fir branches have a lovely golden to bright red colour producing a very pretty grain. This has been used for a natural edged bowls and boxes and small pieces of woodturning including tealights and ornamental boxes.
The trees in wellingtonia avenue often have branches fall down which are collected into habitat piles. Some of the larger branches I will collect during my volunteering sessions and bring back home to chainsaw into sections, coat the ends in PVA to seal them and reduce splitting and then add to the log pile to dry.
Duncan Clark Woodturning 