New initiative, Redwoods Rising, fast-tracks the growth of healthy redwood forests on 40,000 acres of parklands — providing clean air and water, storing carbon and fighting climate change
April 17, 2018 - SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Save the Redwoods League (League), the National Park Service (NPS) and California State Parks (State Parks) on Monday announced a new commitment to heal previously-harvested redwood forests through a collaboration known as Redwoods Rising. One of the goals in the coming decades is to bring back stands of towering coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens) on 40,000 acres of public lands in Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP). Redwoods Rising creates an unprecedented level of collaboration between these three organizations to restore the redwood forests and ensure the parks’ entire 120,000 acres exist as a connected forest ecosystem and a thriving landscape that supports and protects the natural and cultural treasures found there.
“If our greatest responsibility is to leave the world better than we found it, then healing the redwood forest represents an opportunity of a lifetime. We can actually restore and grow the old-growth forests of the future,” said Sam Hodder, president and CEO of Save the Redwoods League. “We have the tools and the will, and thanks to our generous donors and our national and state park partners, we are taking a major step forward toward leaving California better than we found it.”
Located 325 miles north of San Francisco, Redwood National and State Parks are a UNESCO World Heritage site comprised of Redwood National Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods, Del Norte Coast Redwoods, and Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Parks. The parks are home to 45 percent of the world’s remaining protected old-growth redwoods and half of the world’s tallest trees. However, surrounding the primeval redwood stands are large swaths of younger forest that were once heavily harvested. Old logging roads spread invasive species and erode sediment into nearby streams, threatening coho salmon and steelhead trout.
Benefits of Redwoods Rising
- Provides clean air and water
- Fights climate change
- Creates and restores wildlife habitat
- Begins to bring back the ancient redwoods for future generations to enjoy
- Leverages organizational strengths and expertise while increasing efficiency
- Provides a new opportunity for the public to support these forests directly
Coast redwood forests store more carbon per acre than any other forest on the planet — by at least three times. One of the exciting and environmentally important aspects of accelerating the growth of massive redwoods is that these trees are climate change fighters. So, as we restore the redwood forests, we increase their ability to absorb more carbon. Also, because the trees are so resistant to rot, they hold onto their carbon for a very long time even after they die. This is an effective, natural form of carbon sequestration.
“We are thrilled to collaborate with Save the Redwoods League and California State Parks,” said Steve Mietz, superintendent of Redwood National Park. “Redwoods Rising aligns the public and private sectors to take the next big steps towards restoring these cherished public landscapes. It is a great investment in our future.”
By 2022, the Redwoods Rising collaborative will conduct restoration forestry activities across 10,000 acres of the forested watersheds of Mill Creek and Prairie Creek within RNSP. These forests were clearcut prior to the parks’ establishment, and actively restoring them will reconnect precious remaining old-growth areas, improving habitat quality and resiliency.
“Now more than ever, we recognize that to protect our treasured redwoods, we must invest in the entire landscape,” said Lisa Mangat, director of California State Parks. “Our iconic redwoods provide for us in myriad ways — clean air and water, steelhead and salmon, and plentiful wildlife — just as they inspire us. With a bold initiative now, we can protect these ancient forests from the most extreme effects of climate change, and be confident that future Californians can enjoy their majesty.”
The League has already raised over $2.26 million towards the $5 million goal needed to fund initial projects, including support for the Forest Fellows program, which mentors the next generation of conservation foresters, and a $1 million grant from the S. D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation. Going forward, Redwoods Rising collaborators will work together to cultivate new private philanthropic and public support for the project, with the League as lead and fiscal administrator.
“Our first priority must be our best places, the places where we have the most extensive stands of old trees,” says Emily Burns, science director for Save the Redwoods League. “Redwood National and State Parks are our greatest remaining reservoirs of redwood forest biodiversity. They contain the precious and irreplaceable components of the full, complete and healthy redwood ecosystem. It is our job to spread the ecological wealth of these ancient stands into surrounding lands.”
Please visit RedwoodsRising.org for additional information and opportunities to support this exciting new initiative.
About Save the Redwoods League
One of the nation’s oldest conservation organizations, Save the Redwoods League is celebrating 100 years of protecting and restoring redwood forests, connecting generations of visitors with the beauty and serenity of the redwood forest. Our 19,000 supporters have enabled the League to protect more than 200,000 acres of irreplaceable forest and help create 66 redwood parks and reserves. For more information, go to SaveTheRedwoods.org
About the National Park Service
The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The national park system includes 417 areas covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. The NPS cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.
About California State Parks
The California Department of Parks and Recreation protects and preserves the state’s valued natural, cultural, and historical resources while providing recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, mountain biking, horseback riding, boating and off-highway vehicle activities. The department achieves its mission through grant programs and a network of 280 parks, which include beaches, trails, wildlife areas, open spaces, off-highway areas, and historic sites.
Source: CA. State Parks
