Why is the coast redwood considered a paleoendemic species?
The coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is classified as a paleoendemic species because it is an ancient organism that was once widespread across the Northern Hemisphere but is now restricted to a much smaller, specific geographic range.12
Paleoendemic species, also known as relict species, are often the only surviving members of their genera; the coast redwood is the sole living species within the genus Sequoia. Fossil evidence indicates that the genus was widely dispersed as far back as the Jurassic Period (approximately 200 to 145.5 million years ago). Over time, factors such as climatic changes and other environmental shifts have reduced its distribution to its current, narrow habitat within the fog belt of the coastal range from southwestern Oregon to central California.123