REDWOODS Spring/Summer 2019

Dear Save the Redwoods League Friends,

Welcome to this edition of Redwoods, featuring insights from leading scientists on redwoods and climate change.

In a world increasingly defined by the deterioration of global natural treasures — receding glaciers, dammed and dying rivers, unprecedented rates of species extinction — Save the Redwoods League has a story of hope and resilience to tell. The League’s Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative (RCCI) has led to incredible discoveries in California’s old-growth coast redwood and giant sequoia forests over the last decade. We have learned that because of ancient redwoods’ extraordinary growth rate and life span, immense size, and singular resistance to decay, they store more carbon per acre than any other forest type in the world. That is worth writing again. The California forests whose fates are in our hands are the best in the world at storing carbon — by a long shot. As such, the redwoods are a tremendous resource in mitigating climate change and building resilience into our ecosystems. But most of the coast redwood forests that remain today — 93 percent of the range — are young and recovering from decades of logging. So we are now studying second-growth forests, the landscape of young redwood trees growing back after commercial harvesting, the young redwood forests that now dominate the Northern California coast.

In terms of carbon storage, we know old-growth coast redwood and giant sequoia forests are first and second on the global list. Remarkable early RCCI results show that the largest second-growth forest we’ve studied has recaptured about 25 percent of the biomass — and therefore, carbon storage — of the world record-holder for biomass, the forest of Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Redwood biomass includes a high component of decay-resistant heartwood, which means it’s more likely to hold onto carbon longer than other tree wood can. These discoveries should dramatically change how we think about and steward these forests.

As we learn how second-growth redwood forests are among the extraordinary performers in helping to reduce greenhouse gases, we are starting work to accelerate their recovery, and we are renewing our investment in their restoration. Together, we can set in motion the restoration of the world’s superlative forests, and regenerate the redwood ecosystem that will sustain and inspire future generations. And in so doing, we have an extraordinary opportunity to leave the world better than we found it.

Sam Hodder
President and Chief Executive Officer
Save the Redwoods League

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Autumn-Winter 2018

Voting for Redwoods

I really liked reading about the current legislation so I can vote for things that support our environment — I trust Save the Redwoods to endorse sound environmental policy. I also like seeing maps of new land that is preserved, and the vacation ideas make me want to head up there.
—Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik

Learning How to Protect Forests

All the articles in the issue are amazing. The magazine does a terrific job at describing issues that redwoods face and what we as citizens can do to help protect such beautiful and vital species of trees.
—Marcos Cervantes

Photos Stir Fond Memories

The photos were awe-inspiring. Perhaps you could publish photo journeys of some of the hikes you have highlighted. I live in Pennsylvania and had the chance to be absorbed in the wonders of the sequoia and redwood forest a few years back. The magazine brought back those memories and appreciation of our local forests in the Pennsylvania wilds.
—Steve Skok

CONTENTS

Save the Redwoods 2019 Gala

Join us under the redwoods on Saturday, October 12, at the National AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco for our gala to benefit the League’s education and parks support programs. Enjoy an unforgettable cocktail reception, tall-trees performance, an elegant dinner, a live auction of redwoods adventures, and dancing.

Protect Giants for Future Generations

You can safeguard the immersive experience of our redwood forests for the next generation of wanderers: It’s as simple as including a gift to Save the Redwoods League in your will or trust.
Learn more

Join Our Leading Circles

Protect and restore our redwood forests for future generations through your generosity today: Become a member of the Canopy Club with an annual gift of $10,000 or more, or the Redwood Leadership Circle with an annual gift of $1,000 or more, and enjoy special redwoods experiences. For more information, contact Georgia Young, Director of Major Gifts.
Email for information

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.

Mary Flaherty is a freelance reporter and copyeditor. She has reported for several local newspapers and copyedited for the San Francisco Chronicle.

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.

Mark Hertsgaard is the environment correspondent for The Nation magazine and the author of seven books that have been translated into 17 languages, including Earth Odyssey and HOT. Photo by Francesca Vietor.

Alisha Laborico, owner of Fig & Olive Photography, discovered her passion for photography a few years into practicing medicine in San Francisco. Shortly after relocating to Alameda with her family, she began to pursue it full time.

Amanda Machado is a writer and facilitator whose work has been published in The Atlantic, The Washington Post, Harper’s Bazaar, Outside, and other outlets.

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.

Dana Poblete is a Los Angeles-based writer who covers sustainable lifestyles and natural history for publications including Condé Nast Traveler and Audubon.

Harry Pollack joined Save the Redwoods League as general counsel in 2011. He brings over 30 years of experience in the fields of law and real estate transactions.

Victoria Reeder is a conservation photographer excited about preserving redwoods, and working to help all of us have equal access to nature. Her work has been published in Audubon, Alpinist, outdoor adventure books, and various online publications.

Kristen Shive, PhD, joined the League as the organization’s Senior Scientist in 2018, bringing decades of experience in fire management and ecological research in national parks, including Yosemite.

Professor Stephen C. Sillett, PhD, is the Kenneth L. Fisher Chair of Redwood Forest Ecology in the College of Natural Resources & Sciences at Humboldt State University.

Scott Stephens, PhD, is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies fire ecology; forest ecology, policy, and management; and how climate change will affect fire. Photo by Richard Cue.

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.

Tim Whalen serves as the Chief Development Officer and has over 20 years of fundraising leadership experience in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Deborah Zierten joined the League’s staff in 2013 as the Education & Interpretation Manager. She brings with her extensive experience teaching science, developing curricula, and connecting kids to the natural world.