Redwoods Rising sets historically logged forests in Redwood National and State Parks on the path to long-term health
The most ambitious coast redwood forest restoration project ever launched marked great progress in 2022, its third year of operation on the ground. In the effort called Redwoods Rising, Save the Redwoods League, the National Park Service, and California State Parks are restoring thousands of acres of forests in Redwood National and State Parks. The project is reversing extensive damage in areas that were commercially logged before their protection as part of the parks. Redwoods Rising will accelerate the forests’ trajectory toward old-growth conditions, helping to fight climate change and the forests’ long-term health and that of the plants, animals, and people who depend on them.
Since work began on the ground, Redwoods Rising has
- restored 2,600 acres of unnaturally overcrowded forest left behind by repeated cycles of logging and planting
- removed 22 miles of old, eroding logging roads
- improved 32 miles of roads
- restored 3 miles of stream channel, and fixed, replaced, or removed 34 stream crossings
- for the fifth year, offered apprenticeships as career development for college students. Apprentices collected stream habitat data to aid in restoration planning and mapped 20 miles of logging roads, knowledge that will inform work for years to come.
Earlier this year, the California Wildlife Conservation Board awarded Redwoods Rising $11 million to support restoration treatments and expansion of the apprenticeship program with Cal Poly Humboldt and College of the Redwoods.
