Mill Creek Forest Restoration Program

In addition to protecting ancient forests, Save the Redwoods League acquires logged forests.

One of our major long-term efforts is to restore these logged forests so they resemble majestic old-growth forests. Restoration will benefit wildlife that relies on this habitat, and future generations who will enjoy the forest.

Restoration priorities are identified in our Master Plan for the Coast Redwoods, which guides our work.

Restoration includes, among other efforts:

• removing small trees that were planted too close together in post-logging reforestation efforts. Such tree removal promotes faster growth of larger trees and other old forest characteristics such as a complex canopy, clear-running, fish-filled streams, and abundant animal species that rely on old forests
• removing eroding roads that degrade salmon streams with sediment
• planting tree seedlings in old road beds and unstable areas
• installing habitat structures in streams to improve the viability of salmon populations

We also have supported reforestation by learning about it through our Research Grants Program. Our sponsored reforestation research has included investigations of natural disturbance regimes, potential restoration tools and management to promote old forest characteristics. This research has guided development of new restoration techniques used on the League's land protection projects.

Save the Redwoods League and its partners continue work on a unique opportunity to restore the qualities of an ancient redwood forest for all to experience on the 25,000-acre Mill Creek property, which is now part of Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park.

Our largest land protection project, Mill Creek protects the watershed of some of the most spectacular ancient groves left - those of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

After acquiring the property in 2002 and transferring it to California State Parks, we partnered with organizations to restore the former logging site. Protection and restoration of this property will provide more habitat for highly threatened species such as coho salmon and the marbled murrelet.

Mill Creek accomplishments in the 2008-9 fiscal year included, among others:

• 2.5 miles of logging roads were removed to prevent sediment from flowing into streams that harbor endangered salmon
• more than 250 acres of young forests were thinned to admit more light and to change the species composition back to coast redwoods

Since 2002:

• 36 miles of severely eroded logging roads have been removed
• more than 1,800 acres of young, dense forest stands have been thinned to promote characteristics of old forests
• 1,800 seedlings have been planted in Mill Creek and surrounding parklands
• salmon habitat structures have been installed in streams
• and a forest recovery study was launched