The Redwood Forest.
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The Redwood forest is located on the west coast, from the south of Oregon to the south of California. There isn't just one forest; there are several along and near the coast. Together they cover 133,000 acres. In the 1800's many people went to the west coast to mine gold. Of course, a lot of people didn't find any, and so logging became a second option. At that time there were 2,000,000 acres of redwoods. The trees were quickly chopped down and used for buildings in the San Francisco area. In 1920 a movement started to preserve the remaining trees, but it wasn't until(1) the 1960's that they were finally safe. And I'm so glad that they are. I was lucky enough to take my family there this summer, and we were amazed at their size and beauty. Their age was just as astonishing(2). We came across a slice of a massive tree that was around(3) before the Vikings came to the Americas. Some trees had fallen over, and their root systems were the size of houses! We walked around the forest, straining our necks to keep looking up, up, up. I noticed a few things in particular. First, the bark of the redwoods is spongey, not hard. Second, there are hardly any plants on the forest floor because of the lack of sunshine. And third, the forest is so, so quiet. There are so many photos on the web of these amazing trees.

1. 'It wasn't until...' is a phrase that indicates the passing of time until an event/ change/ an action. I mentioned that a movement to preserve the trees had started in the 1920's, but nothing happened until the 1960's. That is why I used 'it wasn't until...' a. We asked for building permission, but it wasn't until 3 years later/had passed that we were given permission. b. I asked him to close the door, but it wasn't until he got cold that he closed it! c. We bought our ski gear, but it wasn't until February that we were able to use it.
2. 'Their age was just as astonishing.' This is a separate sentence which refers back to the size and beauty of the trees of the previous sentence.  a. The boys received excellent results in English. Their mathematics results were just as good. b. She is tall and attractive. You are just as beautiful. c. The new car is computerized and stylish. It's fuel efficiency is just as impressive.
3. 'a tree...that was around before the Vikings..' Here I could have used 'was growing' or 'was alive', but 'to be around' is a highly used phrase for something or someone being alive or present. a. I am wise because I have been around for a long time. b. That radio program has been around for about 50 years! c. How long are those noisy kids going to be around here?

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