A forest of 40 trees cloned from the tallest living things on Earth was planted in the bright spring sunshine at the Eden Project in Cornwall this week.

The grove of coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) could live for 4,000 years and reach nearly 400ft in height. As they grow, they will form an avenue of giants along the main entrance road to Eden.

To coincide with the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week, Eden’s group of 27 apprentices helped plant the trees, alongside Eden’s horticulture team, 40 children from nearby Lanlivery CP School and Sir Tim Smit, Eden’s Co-founder.

The planting took place in the week of the 15th anniversary of Eden’s opening, which was yesterday (March 17).

The first sapling in the ground was a clone of the Fieldbrook Stump, the remains of a famous northern Californian redwood which was felled in 1890 when it was around 3,500 years old. It was planted by Lanlivery student Jess Phillips, seven, and Eden Project apprentices Jake Hawke and Rosie Wade.

A partnership between the Eden Project in Cornwall, UK, and Archangel Ancient Tree Archive (AATA), based in northern Michigan, USA resulted in this historic planting.

The coast redwood trees that were planted were sent over from AATA to Eden as cloned saplings and have been grown on. They grow naturally in Oregon and California so should thrive in Cornwall’s mild, damp climate.

As well as its partnership with Archangel, Eden is aiming to link with ’One Tree Per Child’, which aims to have every child planting one tree as part of a primary school activity.  More information at http://www.onetreeperchild.com/