Blog | Save the Redwoods League

This is a place for personal insights into our work by Save the Redwoods League leaders. Please join the conversation by posting your stories and comments.

Two women raise their arms in the air while having their photo taken against a psychedelic themed background.

Hope takes root at “Take Me to the Trees” celebration

by Elias Berbari on May 16, 2025

Nature lovers, forest champions, and long-standing League partners gathered for a night of music, meaning, and momentum for redwoods conservation. From forest bathing to forest beats, Take Me to the Trees 2025 was more than a celebration. It was a testament to what it means to come together for something bigger than ourselves. The League thanks every guest, donor, partner, artist, and sponsor who made this magical evening possible. Together, we are helping the redwoods thrive!

Loving giant sequoias to the moon and back

by Justin Housman on May 16, 2025

Trees don’t typically do a whole lot of traveling. You might even say they spend their entire lives rooted to the exact same spot. But earlier this spring, Save the Redwoods League was on hand to help plant a dozen …

Making giant strides in giant sequoia protection

by Justin Housman on May 13, 2025

Standing awestruck in a giant sequoia grove, the largest trees on the planet towering overhead, it’s hard to imagine anything threatening these behemoths. Some of these trees are likely thousands of years old and have lived through so much. What …

Video: Restoration “ripple effect” boosts local economy

by Save the Redwoods League on April 11, 2025

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Save the Redwoods League (@savetheredwoods) Griff Griffith describes the formerly clear-cut areas in and around Redwood National and State Parks as a “gaping wound”—one that Redwoods Rising and ‘O …

A Black boy wearing a cloth redwood tree costume raises his arms while an adult naturalist in an East Bay Regional Parks uniform points out parts of the tree.

Teaming up with East Bay Regional Parks a “no-brainer”

by Save the Redwoods League on April 11, 2025

At Learning Without Limits Elementary School in Oakland, California, fourth grade means fun field trips. The students have heard stories from older kids about hiking in a redwood forest and wading out into the San Francisco Bay. Now it’s finally …

Redwood leaves like you’ve never seen them before

by Justin Housman on April 8, 2025

Redwoods don’t actually have needles, they have leaves. We call their leaves needles because they’re thin and pointy, but they are indeed leaves, performing all the necessary leafly duties. As it turns out, redwoods even have two distinct kinds of …

Zachary Noah Piser stands at the front of the stage in a white T-shirt, speaking or singing, while Idina Menzel sits on a platform in the background. The scene is illuminated with a cool blue forest backdrop.

Q&A: Zachary Noah Piser of Redwood the musical

by Kristina Malsberger on March 18, 2025

In the new musical Redwood, Zachary Noah Piser takes to the stage alongside two icons: Broadway legend Idina Menzel and a massive coast redwood, magnificently recreated inside the Nederlander Theatre. The fact that Piser holds the audience’s rapt attention is …

Bottle brush regrowth on redwoods recovering from fire

Post-fire Big Basin offers visitors a “forest of hope”

by Helena Guglielmino on March 16, 2025

Nearly five years have passed since the CZU Lightning Complex fires devastated Big Basin Redwoods State Park, but many people are still keeping their distance from the park. “A lot of locals are hesitant to come here,” says Debra Martwick, …

Video: How to repair a redwood “pseudo forest”

by Save the Redwoods League on February 24, 2025

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Redwoods Rising (@redwoodsrising) Springing up in the wake of clearcutting, unnaturally dense “pseudo forests” are a far cry from spacious, biodiverse old-growth groves. Griff Griffith dives into the differences—and …

A big bright yellow banana slug is turned to look at a tiny slug next it.

All hail the banana slug, California’s new state symbol

by April Kilcrease on February 24, 2025

Slimy, yellow, impossibly slow, and so very beloved. The banana slug, humble hero of the redwoods, is finally getting the recognition it deserves. Thanks to Assembly Bill 1850, the iconic mollusk has been officially crowned California’s state slug. More than …

A person in a knit cap sits on a wooden bench looking out across green ferns towards a forest of redwood trees

Grief, loss, and uncertainty: How nature helps ease our pain

by Sam Hodder on February 23, 2025

I have been thinking about grief a lot lately. To be sure, this is not my comfort zone—not that it would be for anyone, but my default is to focus on the bright side. Yet even those of us who …

League announces 2025 Redwood Connect grantees

by Deborah Zierten on February 3, 2025

When someone has a memorable interaction with the natural world, it can shift their perspective, reveal new possibilities, sometimes even shape an entire life. Especially when that someone is a young person. That’s why the League is thrilled to announce …

Giant sequoia silhouette against a night sky illuminated by pink northern lights

25 things for redwood lovers to look forward to in 2025

by Kristina Malsberger on January 16, 2025

It’s been a rough start for many of us, but there are still plenty of amazing things ahead in 2025. So many opportunities to honor the world’s tallest and largest trees—and the wildlife and communities they shelter and nourish. So …

Woman in a pink jacket walks down a fern-lined hiking trail in a misty redwood forest

5 wonderful winter hikes in the redwood forest

by Helena Guglielmino on January 14, 2025

Something magical happens to California’s redwood forests during winter. Clouds insulate the trees from the outside world, making a walk among these giants feel cozy and nostalgic. The rains conjure up the earthy smell of the soil and the brisk …

A setting sun illuminates golden coastal grasslands with a large swath of redwood trees in the foreground.

Inspiring news from Sonoma Coast Redwoods

by Save the Redwoods League on January 14, 2025

Some great news that you made possible: Save the Redwoods League has met our $9 million fundraising goal and successfully acquired Sonoma Coast Redwoods. This means permanent protection for a one-of-a-kind property that combines a healthy redwood forest, biodiverse coastal …

A group of people gather in a large circle with sequoia trees in the background.

We are all in this together

by Sam Hodder on December 23, 2024

It is clear that when it comes to protecting and healing what we love most, we are all in this together. This issue of Redwoods follows these threads of collaboration and commitment as they weave through some of our most exciting and urgent projects. We take you to Sonoma Coast Redwoods, a dramatic stretch of California coastline whose preservation depends on a collective effort by the League, our partners, and our full community of supporters. We meet dedicated scientists working to unravel the complex relationship between redwoods and fog — and the growing impacts of climate change. And we explore how the League’s Redwood Rides program, working in partnership with local organizations, is helping to connect underrepresented communities with nature.

Coast redwoods canopy seen peaking through thick white fog

Redwoods and fog

by Kathleen Ok-Soo Richards on December 23, 2024

A gentle mist drifts silently through the redwoods, softening shadows and imparting a damp chill to the air. Moisture drips from branches and ferns, emanating an earthy, pine-like aroma. The scene of fog shrouding a redwood forest evokes a sense of mystery and awe, its ephemeral beauty casting a filmic, dreamlike quality to the landscape. Perhaps even more captivating is the hidden, interwoven relationship between fog and coast redwoods.

Close-up image of a hand, palm up, holding heart-shaped leaves in a forest

League supporters share Giving TREESday inspirations

by Kate Berry on December 16, 2024

GivingTuesday is a global event dedicated to giving back that offers a much-needed counterpoint to the consumer-driven frenzy of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Here at the League, we’ve reimagined this day as Giving TREESday—a celebration of generosity and gratitude …

Two smiling women in a helicopter wearing white helmets and bright yellow safety jackets.

League scientist plays frontline role on the Coffee Pot Fire

by Kristina Malsberger on December 16, 2024

With a flash of lightning, a fire ignites naturally near several giant sequoia groves in California’s Sierra Nevada. It’s early August and the overly dense vegetation surrounding some of the sequoias is dry and flammable. The threat of a high-intensity, …

10 fascinating animals and plants of the Sonoma Coast

by April Kilcrease on December 13, 2024

Along its wild western edge, Sonoma County hosts a menagerie of feathered, furred, and finned creatures—many of them at-risk species. Protecting these amazing animals is a key driver behind the League’s efforts to acquire Sonoma Coast Redwoods, a 1,624-acre property that connects more than 7.8 square miles of wildlife habitat and nearly 8 miles of streams. This biodiverse mix of redwood forest and coastal grasslands also provides essential habitat for vulnerable flora and fauna.