WHAT WE DO

Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has saved ancient redwood forests and redwood ecosystems to ensure that current and future generations can feel the awe and peace that these precious natural wonders inspire. We also save redwoods because they are rare — their natural range is only in central and northern California and southern Oregon — and because they are Earth’s tallest and some of the oldest and most massive living things.

The coast redwood reaches higher than a 30-story building and can live more than 2,000 years. The coast redwood’s relative, the giant sequoia, can live more than 3,000 years and is Earth’s largest tree by volume, with trunks as wide as 30 feet (about as long as a large school bus). Also known as the Sierra redwood, the giant sequoia’s natural range is only in 75 groves on California’s Sierra Nevada.

After 150 years of logging and real-estate development, approximately 5% of the original 2 million acre coast redwood forest remains.

Even though they have survived for millennia, these giants still can be cut down for lumber or to make room for poorly planned residential and commercial real estate development.

Since our establishment more than 90 years ago, with our members' and partners' support, we have protected more than 181,000 acres and helped develop 59 redwood parks and reserves for everybody to enjoy. We are efficient in using our members’ and partners’ contributions: From March 2004 to March 2008, we spent an average of 81 cents of every dollar we received on our programs to save redwoods.

How We Save Redwoods

• We protect redwoods by purchasing forests and the landscapes that support them at fair-market value from willing sellers. We donate or sell this land to California State Parks and other government agencies, which protect the forests as parks and reserves for everybody to enjoy. These purchases are guided by our science-based Master Plan. Save the Redwoods also protects redwoods by making land preservation agreements. These contracts between landowners and the League limit uses of property to protect qualities such as ancient trees, habitat for threatened species and recreation.

• We restore logged forests to their majestic state by, among other efforts, removing roads, creating wildlife habitat and removing small trees that were planted too close together in post-logging reforestation efforts. This tree removal promotes faster growth of larger trees and other old-forest characteristics such as a dense canopy, clear-running, fish-filled streams, and abundant animal species that rely on old forests.

• We inspire current and future generations to save redwoods by awarding education grants to organizations that help thousands of children and adults better understand and appreciate these trees.

• Through our science and planning work, we learn what redwoods need to survive. We award research grants, and develop science-based plans to save redwoods throughout their natural range.