Author Archives: Richard Campbell

Richard joined the League’s staff in 2012 as the Conservation Science Manager and now serves as Director of Restoration. He brings nearly a decade of experience in forest management and restoration.

Burls protrude from a coast redwood

What is a burl?

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We’ve all seen them—those enormous growths on the trunks or bases of coast redwood trees, sometimes covered in new sprouts, sometimes appearing to drip down the side of the tree like the molten remnants of a lost limb. These strange formations are collectively known as burls.

White pickup truck on a dirt road lined with trees and logs.

Photo Evidence That Redwoods Rising Is Real

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I recently had the great pleasure of visiting Redwoods Rising operations in Redwood National and State Parks, and what I saw was incredible.

Cooley spruce gall. Photo by Joanne and Doug Schwartz

Exploring One of Nature’s Weird Phenomena

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As you may have read in their recent blog, Doug and Joanne Schwartz – League members and dedicated volunteers – are serving this summer as our Redwood Explorers-in-Residence, exploring the northern parks, and ground-truthing and mapping the groves of ancient …

Nature persists in the paved expanses of the urban jungle. Photo by Luke McGuff, flickr creative commons.

Urban Wilderness: In the Heart of the City, Nature Takes Root

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There is an empty lot just up the hill from Save the Redwoods League’s office in San Francisco. The lot is fenced off, but by peering through the gaps between the slats, it is possible to get a brief glimpse …

This redwood grove on a League-owned Napa County property will get protection from extra-intense wildfires.

Fierce Fires Pose Threats to Forests, Water

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It’s fire season again. Last week, the local news reported on a 2,500-acre fire in Napa County, just east of the redwood range and Save the Redwoods League’s property near Bothe-Napa State Park. As I’ve mentioned before in previous blogs, …

A hungry herd of goats is taking care of a thorny restoration problem at the League’s Cape Vizcaino property.

Goats Provide Much-Needed TLC at Cape Vizcaino

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The League’s Cape Vizcaino property is in need of a little TLC. Well, maybe a lot. In a previous blog, I described the problems we have with Douglas fir and tanoak trees encroaching into one of the property’s coastal meadows. …

Redwood Creek flows through Redwood National and State Parks before reaching the ocean.

Redwood Creek Safe from Prolific Invasive Snail, For Now

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Good news is not always easy to come by in regards to the redwood forest. Whether it is the threat of development, water diversion or unsustainable logging, bad tidings are all around us. Even though they’re not always obvious, there …

With Global Forest Watch, you can check out the state of forests all over the world -- including the redwoods!

Conservation Meets Technology in Global Forest Watch

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Here at the League, we keep a close eye on the redwood forests. We monitor changes in ownership, regulations, practices, natural disturbances and more to understand the state of the redwoods. But, how can we tell how forests worldwide are …

The canopy in Boulder Creek Forest provides nesting places for the marbled murrelet, an imperiled seabird. by Paolo Vescia

Harvesting Timber for Forest Protection

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There is a sad paradox to much of my work as a forester. I became a forester because I love the forest, yet much of my work requires me to kill trees. No matter what the larger goal is for …

Small salamanders are having a big impact. Photo by Anthony Ambrose

Salamanders in the News

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It’s not often that salamanders make the New York Times.  But last week, the ‘Science’ section featured an article on a study investigating the role of salamanders in the global carbon cycle. Basically, salamanders are among the top predators in …

Will wandering salamanders be among the creatures found in the canopy during the BioBlitz? Photo by Dan Portik

BioBlitz at Muir Woods: What Will We Find in the Canopy?

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The Muir Woods BioBlitz is just a couple weeks away, and folks around here are getting excited.  One of the hot topics of conversation around the Save the Redwoods League office is which species the scientists will find living in …

What we do, and why we do it, affects the land — from the smallest flower to the mightiest redwood.

What Is a Conservationist?

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As we at Save the Redwoods League begin to focus on managing and restoring land as much as on acquiring it, we will need to ask ourselves hard questions about what it means to be a conservationist these days. Chief …

Some redwoods are genetically adapted to wet, foggy environments; some are better suited to drier locales.

“Right” and “Wrong” Redwoods?

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When we want to restore forests, it’s as simple as just planting some redwoods, right? You may be surprised to hear that the business of replanting a forest is a bit more complicated than that. When we work to restore forests, we try to make sure that the forests we rebuild are as close as possible to those that were lost — and there are also very practical reasons for doing so

Various ages of forest after different clear cuts in Mill Creek. Photo by Save the Redwoods League

Big Questions in Restoration

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Ten years ago, the first crews entered the newly-protected Mill Creek watershed.  Their mission: to implement a large-scale experiment in forest restoration. As the result of past logging and misguided reseeding practices, the young forest of the watershed had become …

Left, Cape Vizcaino in 1947, with meadows clearly visible. Right, the present view, with trees encroaching heavily.

Burning Cape Vizcaino

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The view from the picnic table was grand to be sure, the blue infinities of sea and sky meeting where the distant fog gathered offshore (and coastal fog, when you think about it, really is the perfect blend of the …

: It’s easy to see how tanoak mortality from sudden oak death can have effects on the whole forest community. This photo was taken in Marin County, CA. Image by the USFS Region 5, Flickr Creative Commons.

Sudden oak death is plaguing California forests

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Last week, Deborah Zierten introduced us to sudden oak death, a nasty fungal disease (known in scientific circles as Phytopthera ramorum) that is causing the widespread  decline and death of tanoak, one of the most common tree species found in …

Grizzly Creek Redwoods State Park is stunning and secluded. Photo by David Baselt.

Redwood Resolutions

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It’s a brand new year, and with it comes the inevitable New Year’s resolutions. Like many people, I plan to eat a healthier diet and exercise more (sure, and let’s see how long I last!). Besides those, here are some …

Celebrating the Endangered Species Act

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In three days (December 28th), we will mark the 40th anniversary of one of the most important and successful pieces of environmental law in our country’s history – the Endangered Species Act. The Act (commonly known as ESA) protects species …

Lions in the Santa Cruz Mountains

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It was close to dusk when we crossed the stream, heading deeper into the forest along an old logging road. We were touring the areas of CEMEX Redwoods where restoration reserves are to be established, assessing conditions and discussing strategies …

Save the Redwoods ladies, 1918. Photo courtesy of Humboldt Historical Society.

How Did the League Help Start the State Parks System?

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With California State Parks’ 150th anniversary just around the corner, it seems like a good time to reflect on the League’s role in shaping State Parks and to look back at our shared history. Since its inception in 1918, the …