The Coast Redwood belongs to the plant family Taxodiaceae, which also included fourteen other species. Members of this family are conifers that generally have soft wood, long, straight trunks, round cones, and narrow, needle-like leaves. The Giant Sequoia and the Dawn Redwood are the most closely related to the Coast Redwood. More than forty species of Taxodiaceae once thrived in a warmer, wetter climate than the one that prevails today, but now fifteen relic species remain, mostly around the Pacific Rim. Many have been given misleading common names such as fir, cedar, and pine because of their similarity to other conifer families. Some of these trees are now quite rare and may become even more so. Climate change was a significant factor in reducing the area where redwood can grow, and human activity probably plays a role in the current rapid progress of global warming. Scientists estimate that a three to four degree increase in global temperatures could eliminate California’s cool, moist coastal zone, raising questions about the future of Coast Redwoods.