REDWOODS Autumn/Winter 2018

Dear Save the Redwoods League Friends,

Welcome to this special edition of Redwoods during our extraordinary Centennial year. The California State Legislature recognized Save the Redwoods League for 100 years of protecting redwood forests, and the California State Senate resolved that 2018 is the Year of the Redwoods. In this edition, we celebrate our Centennial, our legacy of leadership, and the launch of our conservation vision for the future.

First and foremost, we describe our recently released State of Redwoods Conservation Report, detailing our assessment of the current condition of the coast redwood and giant sequoia forests and presenting the scientific underpinnings of our conservation plan for the future. We outline that plan, the Centennial Vision for Redwoods Conservation, including our bold objectives and strategies for our second century of redwoods conservation leadership.

You’ll also read how this year we are taking substantial steps toward achieving goals in our Vision: the protection of two of the three largest unprotected old-growth groves remaining in the giant sequoia and coast redwood ranges. The 160-acre Red Hill property is one of the great natural gems of the Sierra Nevada, and the 730-acre Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve is the largest privately owned old-growth redwood forest in California. To protect either one would be extraordinary. To secure both in our Centennial year is a terrific conservation achievement.

Now is a moment of opportunity and optimism. We are poised to set in motion the regeneration of vibrant redwood forests of the scale and grandeur that once graced the California coast and the Sierra Nevada, and ensure they are protected forever and restored to grow old again. In so doing, we will untether the redwoods’ unique ability to store carbon, provide critical habitat, and restore resilience in California’s landscape. We will connect people to these forests through magnificent parks that inspire visitors from near and far with the power and beauty of nature, elevating the redwoods as a central element of our collective experience.

We invite you to join us at this historic moment.

Sam Hodder
President and Chief Executive Officer
Save the Redwoods League

Read Sam’s blog | Connect with Sam on Twitter @SamH4Redwoods

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Redwoods Remind Us of Life’s Wisdom

I was glad to get a copy of the autumn/winter [2017] edition of Redwoods magazine. The beautiful photography reminded me of my short and extensive trips through redwoods country over the decades, and the emotional power that these trees have when you see them up close. They remind us that the world into which we have been born is very old and filled with the wisdom of life. At the same moment that the great trees make us feel physically small and short-lived, they also elevate us by making us feel that we are part of something magnificent and fundamentally mysterious.

I would like to suggest several changes for your magazine.

First, please add more maps. Second, your articles blur the distinction between sequoias and redwoods. Please keep this clear. Third, it would be interesting to keep up with the work of Stephen Sillett and the ecosystem of the redwood tops.

Thanks for the great work you do. It gives a loft to life.

—Paul R Fleischman

Editor’s Note: Paul, we’re so glad you like the inaugural issue of Redwoods. We’re pleased to incorporate your suggestions, including coverage of forest ecologist Stephen Sillett’s role in our work to restore coast redwood and giant sequoia forests; see the story.

A Splendid Beginning

Congratulations to you and your staff for the excellent new [Autumn/Winter 2017] magazine. I found every article and photo of great interest. I’m already looking forward to the next issue. I wish I could jump into my car and slowly explore each and every redwood forest you are protecting. Thanks to all of you for the splendid new publication.

—Clare Wheeler-Sias

CONTENTS

CONTRIBUTORS

Shelana deSilva is the League’s Director of Government Affairs and Public Funding. She has a strong record of helping national and statewide nonprofits lead campaigns and secure public funding.

Jerry Emory, the League’s Centennial Communications Manager, has written five books and dozens of magazine articles about environmental issues, travel, and science in Latin America and the western United States.

Max Forster is a coast redwood enthusiast and photographer based in Humboldt County, California. His work has been published by American Forests and various online outlets.

Jerry Franklin, a League Councilor, is Professor Emeritus of Forest Ecosystems at the University of Washington. He is a world-leading authority on sustainable forest management.

Glen Martin was an environmental reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle for many years, and has contributed to more than 50 magazines, including Discover, Audubon, Forbes, and Outside.

Jon Parmentier says he was lucky to spend seven years among the redwoods, photographing them, hiking and composing music.

Kelsey Piras is a writer and editor based in London. Her Northern California roots and time among the redwoods are endless sources of inspiration and awe.

Mike Shoys is a lifelong resident of the redwood range. A life of backpacking, hiking, and other outdoor pursuits led him to become a passionate conservation photographer.

Andrew Slack, a former League Forest Fellow, has a background in forest ecology and spent two years working to advance landscape restoration projects in Redwood and National State Parks.

Madeleine Turner holds a degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading or running under the redwoods.

Paolo Vescia is a lover of trees and an award-winning photographer based in Pacifica, California. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Smithsonian, Rolling Stone, and various California newspapers.