Video: Burning to save giant sequoia forests

A vital tool for protecting our ancient forests

Save the Redwoods League recently worked with Inside Climate News to tell the story of the dangers faced by California’s giant sequoia forests in a time of high-severity wildfire. League Forest Ecologist Linnea Hardlund features prominently in the video talking about the value of prescribed burning in removing the dangerous conditions in the forests. In the accompanying article, Tim Borden, the League’s sequoia restoration and stewardship manager, details the extent of the loss in the forests, and how we can turn things for the better.

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Since 1918, Save the Redwoods League has protected and restored redwood forests and connected people with their peace and beauty so these wonders of the natural world flourish.

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6 Responses to “Video: Burning to save giant sequoia forests”

  1. Ken Friedman

    We have gone way too long about managing the forest correctly. We should have trusted the Indian’s method of forest care but we just knew better. Too bad!

    Reply
  2. Earl

    This is not news to anyone who’s been paying attention.

    Our Forestry profs at Colorado State in the mid-70s pointed out what California was doing in terms of fire suppression….and predicted what would happen if they kept it up.

    We are watching their predictions come true.

    Tragic – and LOTS of work to be done on ALL our forested land in this state – MOST OF WHICH BELONGS TO VARIOUS GOVERNMENT ENTITIES, State and Federal!! This is NOT mostly a corporate problem, although they’ve not acted wisely either.

    Reply
  3. Jeramiah Bosch

    Deforestation and urban sprawl is a bigger problem than ever imagined or recorded.
    Yet the average working class citizen has to walk or ride a bike to work if they can’t afford an EV because it is all blamed on vehicle emissions. Meanwhile the mega corporations get the free pass to do as they please with the environment

    Reply
  4. Blaine Snow

    Thank you for this informative, instructive, hopeful, yet painful video.

    “I don’t know what nature is anymore” either, to quote from the fire boss. I live in the Puget Sound region, historic home to one of the wettest parts of the country. But now, the droughts we experience every year are transforming our landscape, stressing the once mossy, soaked forests. Now in October, when in the past everything was dripping, wet leaves crawling with happy banana slugs, instead we now have dry crispy, curled up leaves, sword ferns flattened from thirst, trees stressing or dying, and endless stretches of days with zero rain, the exact opposite of pre-climate change conditions. I remember – I’m 4th generation to grow up and live in western Washington. What were lush forests in past conditions have become fuel in current conditions, just waiting to burn.

    Now with climate change, there’s nowhere left to take refuge. Before, we could escape our worldly woes into the quiet refuge of wilderness or nature preserves to rest and reset – but now with climate change, that all that is itself the source of woe, stress, death and dying leaving us nowhere to find solace and peace. Even as a longtime student of Buddhist impermanence, mindful acceptance of what is, and as a student of science, astronomy, geology, and vast time scales, there’s still no escaping the existential feeling of dread, since it lurks everyday right in my backyard. Even the biggest of big picture views of this one tiny spec of a planet in a vast universe can’t put to sleep the daily pain we all feel when we lose 1,000 year old trees. It could be worse I guess – a massive impact event could instantly erase all higher life forms for eons.

    Alas, all we have is each other as well as our flora and fauna brethren, on this day we wake up again to face the world with responsibility, conscience, and compassion. Thank you to everyone featured in this video and to everyone who cares about natural ecosystems and is working to mitigate the ravages of climate change. Everyday is a gift.

    Blaine Snow
    Olympia, WA

    Reply
  5. Carl Fagerskog

    I am so glad to see that something proactive is happening, even though it’s on a very small scale. With temperatures rising the time scale is shortening to save our planet. Whatever help we can give, we must all do our part. Thank you for the great articles and pictures in this email.

    Reply
  6. Ann Downey

    I watched your video, and I’m amazed and thankful for the teams of dedicated people out there doing their best to save our giant ancient forests. I worry all the time about our wild places and our wildlife, we have done this to them. Inadvertently as some of it may, it is man’s negative affect on this planet that is the cause.
    We should have begun trying to heal the wrong we have done, and continue to do, years ago, when we first knew, but we didn’t, we didn’t heed the warnings from the scientists who did know, but we’re shouted down because of greed, profit, indifference, and just plain laziness.
    The giant corporations take the lead in the demise of our planet, but we, the people are not far behind, closing our eyes to them and our own perceptive needs.
    We are paying the price, our good earth is paying the price, and our innocent wildlife is paying the biggest price of all.

    Whole species of animal and flora wiped out forever, it shames me to leave this place that has sustained me and my family, in a condition, less than what my parents and grandparents left me, but may not be here for future generations.

    I thank all the first responders and groups that are in the forefront still trying to preserve what’s left, and I thank any and all those who put their good intentions in motion.

    I pray we soon all come to our senses and care, really care about this planet we call home, and help all Gods creatures to not only survive, but thrive on earth, along with our ancient groves and new growth to keep earth as our Creator meant it to be…………to persue our goals while caring for Mother Earth.

    Reply

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