Towering hundreds of feet above the forest floor, redwood trees dwarf all other living things. The tallest redwood measures 367.4 feet, which is 81 feet taller than the tip of the US Capitol Dome in Washington, DC. Redwoods are easily the tallest living things on the planet, and they are also some of the oldest. The most senior redwood standing today sprouted its first leaves in the ninth century, hundreds of years before the first Europeans arrived in America. 2 Redwoods covered much of the planet millions of years ago. Fossil remains of redwoods have been found in the western United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. Some of these fossils are over 160 million years old. It is believed that the Ice Age wiped out many types of prehistoric redwoods. One type that survived is the coast redwood. Coast redwoods live in an area called the redwood belt, a narrow 450-mile strip that hugs the Pacific coastline. The strip extends from central California to southern Oregon. Its temperatures are moderate year-round. Heavy winter rains and dense summer fog in the redwood belt provide the trees with the water they need.

3 Prior to the 1800s, coast redwoods thrived in the redwood belt. Today, the region is home to millions of people. Acres of redwoods were removed to make room for housing. The logging industry has also helped to deplete the redwood population. Redwood timber's durability and rich color make it desirable for furniture and home construction. Less than five percent of our country's redwood population is standing today.

4 Muir Woods National Monument, Redwood National Park, and several state parks protect the coast redwoods from the threat of humans. Unless laws are enacted to protect the redwood tree in the wild, parks will soon be the only places where coast redwoods survive. Redwoods need hospitable conditions and hundreds of years to reach maturity. Men need just a few hours to cut down a tree of average size. Without protection, the redwood tree doesn't stand a chance.

Which is the central idea of the passage?

Group of answer choices

Redwoods are valuable because of their long history across various sites.

Redwoods used to be prevalent in many areas, but now only a few exist.

Redwoods are impressive, but they need help to withstand human impact.

The weather along the Pacific coast provides the perfect environment for redwoods.