“what evidence is there that redwood stands devoid of a diverse collection of other plants does better than a pure collection of redwoods.”
have you ever hiked through a 2,000 year old virgin stand of redwoods? If you had, you’d know that there is essentially nothing of significance in terms of biomass in the forest EXCEPT old growth redwood trees and their fallen needles. Over the centuries, forest fires generally kill out everything but the large redwoods because the redwood bark is nearly fireproof, so ultimately there’s nothing left but the ancient redwoods. The canopy of the giants also absorbs almost all of the sunlight and rain before they make it to the forest floor, depriving everything else of the ingredients to thrive.
plus
It's late. I probably won't think this is so hilarious in the morning.