Redwoods Rising Restoration of More Than 70,000 Acres Begins Across Northern California Redwood Forests, Providing Regional Jobs

Media Contact:
Robin Carr, Landis Communications Inc.
Email: [email protected] | Phone: (415) 766-0927


Large-scale collaboration by the National Park Service, California State Parks and Save the Redwoods League will restore damaged redwood ecosystems within Redwood National and State Parks

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Save the Redwoods League, CSP, NPS

San Francisco, Calif. (June 18, 2020) — Save the Redwoods League, the National Park Service and California State Parks today announced the next steps in on-the-ground restoration work by Redwoods Rising, a large-scale forest restoration partnership underway in Redwood National and State Parks (RNSP). Beginning next week, Redwoods Rising crews will work in two watersheds within the park boundaries—representing a significant milestone for this long-term forest health initiative and bringing forestry jobs to this northern California region.

Through 2020, workers will repair and replace six miles of failing former logging roads and stream crossings (culverts) and conduct critical restoration thinning in overly dense forest areas across approximately 1,200 acres.

Over the next several decades, this restoration program and partnership will ultimately restore more than 70,000 acres of coast redwood forests in RNSP. These forests were severely impacted by decades of commercial logging before being protected as public parkland. Since the launch of Redwoods Rising in 2018, the project has been undergoing critical regulatory compliance processes, surveying and data-collection at initial restoration sites, and reviewing public comments.

“This restoration project is essential to the long-term health of California’s redwood forests and the region’s environmental well-being, and it will also play an important role in the local economy by employing nearly 100 people during this difficult economic period,” said Victor Bjelajac, district superintendent, California State Parks, North Coast Redwoods. “Redwoods have a vital role to play in maintaining California’s climate resilience. This work and the employment opportunities it provides are key to the health and welfare of the region. We have an imperative to push this long-term project forward.”

Creating Green Jobs and Supporting a Rural Economy Through Redwoods Rising

This summer, Redwoods Rising will directly employ nearly 100 forestry inspectors, restoration crew members, drivers, restoration thinning specialists, heavy equipment operators, contracted biological and cultural surveyors, and people in other managing and supporting roles. The partnership is building a restoration skill set among local operators that can be used throughout the region and support a growing green economy and workforce. Redwoods Rising also indirectly supports jobs at area businesses, including sawmills, providers of equipment and other materials, as well as other natural resource professionals.

The Yurok Tribe, California’s largest Native American tribe, has been actively repairing river and woodland ecosystems for more than 20 years. The Tribe is sending seasoned forest restoration staff to remove sections of failing and inaccessible former logging roads, which traverse a Redwoods Rising site within ancestral lands of the Yurok people. The Yurok Watershed Restoration crew is comprised entirely of local Yurok citizens.

Redwoods Rising has hired 19 apprentices from Humboldt State University (HSU) and College of the Redwoods to work alongside the natural resource and restoration professionals and gain on-the-ground experience conserving redwood ecosystems. The annual apprentice program was established in 2018 in partnership with HSU to prepare the next generation of conservation professionals. This phase of Redwoods Rising work is being conducted in full compliance with the current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California state and local guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

About Redwoods Rising

Redwoods Rising is a large-scale forest restoration project in Redwood National and State Parks to put more than 70,000 acres of previously logged areas of the parks back on track to become the ancient redwood forests of the future. Launched in April 2018, Redwoods Rising will reconnect remaining stands of old-growth redwoods that are scattered throughout the parks and restore previously logged areas at a scale and pace that would otherwise not be possible. This is a massive, ambitious, long-term project that is expected to take decades to complete.

Redwoods Rising is supported in part by Forever Forest: The Campaign for the Redwoods, a comprehensive fundraising campaign by Save the Redwoods League to protect entire landscapes through large-scale, strategic land acquisitions, restore young redwood forests so they become the old-growth forests of the future, and connect all people with the beauty and power of redwoods through transformational park experiences. Readers can learn more about Redwoods Rising and support the restoration work at RedwoodsRising.org.

To schedule an interview, contact Robin Carr at (415) 766-0927 or [email protected]. To access hi-res images or b-roll of Redwood National and State Parks, see the newsroom on the Save the Redwoods League website.

 


About the Redwoods Rising Partners

Save the Redwoods League

Save the Redwoods League, one of the nation’s oldest conservation organizations, has been protecting and restoring redwood forests since 1918, and connecting generations of visitors with the beauty and serenity of the redwood forest. Our 29,000 supporters have enabled the League to protect more than 216,000 acres of irreplaceable forests in 66 state, national and local parks and reserves. Learn more at SaveTheRedwoods.org. To sign up for e-newsletter updates, please visit SaveTheRedwoods.org/signup.

National Park Service logo

National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education and inspiration of this and future generations. The national park system includes 419 areas covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. The NPS cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

California State Parks

California State Parks and the recreational programs supported by its divisions of Boating and Waterways, Historic Preservation and Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation provide the opportunity for families, friends and communities to connect. Off-highway motor vehicle recreation, boating activities, horseback riding, cycling, hiking, camping, rock climbing, tours, hikes, school group enrichment and special events are just some of the activities enjoyed in 280 park units organized into 21 field districts throughout the state. Learn more at www.parks.ca.gov.


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Research from Save the Redwoods League and Humboldt State University Confirms Significant Role of Redwood Forests in California’s Climate Fight

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Policymakers in California and all over the world are exploring the potential of natural solutions to the climate change crisis, particularly the role forests play in storing carbon in their wood as they grow. Recent findings bolster research confirming massive carbon storage in old-growth redwood forests and potential of younger, previously logged forests.

Video: Redwoods Rising gets to work

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Save the Redwoods League, California State Parks, and the National Park Service got together in June on Facebook to talk about Redwoods Rising, a joint partnership to restore 70,000 acres of redwood forest in Redwood National & State Parks. Work on this massive endeavor got underway in earnest in June.


2 Responses to “Redwoods Rising Restoration of More Than 70,000 Acres Begins Across Northern California Redwood Forests, Providing Regional Jobs”

  1. Raymond Paulson

    Volunteers needed?

    Reply
  2. David More

    I have watched a terrible video of huge Ponderosa pines and other trees being felled outside the safety of the conservation zones in North America. Huge old tree SHOULD NOT BE FELLED — they have taken centuries to grow. Deforestation on the Earth has triggered global warming and ACTION needed by politicians to STOP any further loss of ancient trees!!!! Whether in the UK the Amazon or in North America, etc.

    Reply

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