Coast redwood and giant sequoia forests are fire adapted and have been thriving, fire-resilient ecosystems for millions of years. Nonetheless, with forests as vulnerable and strained as they are today by climate change, decades of commercial logging, and short-sighted forest management practices, that characteristic resilience is facing an unprecedented test. While California has seen several heavy wildfire seasons in recent years, these have been unprecedented in their severity, and their impact on the coast redwoods and giant sequoia.
Save the Redwoods League views wildfire as a top priority in our larger effort to protect and restore California’s redwood forests. We’re moving quickly to ensure that the properties we manage are prepared for a future with more extreme wildfire, and we’re encouraging state and federal land managers to ramp up efforts to make their coast redwood and giant sequoia landscapes more fire resilient. And we’re working closely with California State Parks and other agencies to rebuild park infrastructure damaged by fires so that these vital facilities can reopen as soon as possible.
