Video: giant sequoias inspire awe in a changing environment
onthe enduring power of giant sequoias
Study shows bats’ resilience after giant sequoia fire
onAnna Doty, PhD, led a study of California myotis bats in the South Fork region of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park following the SQF Complex fire.
15 great redwood parks for people with disabilities
onTrails at Muir Woods National Monument are accessible to wheelchair users. With towering trees and fresh, oxygen-rich air, redwood forests have the power to inspire and enhance the well-being of all people. That’s why it’s so important to strive for …
Washburn Fire burns close to treasured Mariposa Grove
onwashburn fire threatens mariposa grove giant sequoias
Giant sequoia groves continue to be mired in highest drought level
onGiant sequoia groves mired in exceptional drought
Bipartisan legislation introduced to save giant sequoias
onNew legislation would provide much-needed help for giant sequoias.
Giant sequoias’ declining wildfire resilience
onFor millennia, one of the defining characteristics of giant sequoias has been their innate resilience to wildfire. But in the last several years, severe fires in the Sierra Nevada have revealed an unprecedented vulnerability in the groves. League staffers’ publication in a scientific journal is the first to document this new phenomenon.
Executive Order Threatens National Monuments
onWith the Trump administration passing its first 100-day mark, there came a whirlwind of commentary about how those first 100 days stacked up. Given that the 100-day measure coincided with Earth Day, the March for Science, Arbor Day, and the Climate March, much of the attention focused on the new administration’s stance on the environment. Last week, at the confluence of these events, the administration released an executive order, revealing a great deal about its perspective on the purpose and value of our public lands.
Leaf to Landscape Project
onAfter the fourth consecutive year of severe drought in California, a team of scientists came together in the summer of 2015 to study the impacts of the historic drought on the world’s largest trees, the giant sequoias.
Giant Sequoia Cones Provide an Unexpected Home for Lichen
onWolf lichen (bright green) and tube lichen (gray-green) on a sequoia cone I often think of lichen as slow movers. Although they may be the first organisms to colonize a new area, they need a stable substrate to grow on …
Lower Genetic Diversity Puts Giants at Risk
onRecent League-funded research by Richard Dodd, an Environmental Science Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, confirms that northern groves (north of the Kings River drainage) have lower genetic diversity than central and southern groves. This could have profound consequences for long-term conservation strategies for the species, especially considering the changing global climate.
The Power of Photography: Connection and Conservation
onFor almost a hundred years, Save the Redwoods League has been protecting and restoring redwood forests and enabling people to connect with their peace and beauty. Photographers and painters began connecting people to redwoods decades earlier, beginning with Carleton Watkins’ …
Love in a Redwood Forest
onIt’s no surprise the redwoods inspire people in many different ways. The biodiversity of plants and animals inspires scientists, the towering red-hued trunks of the trees inspire artists, and the fallen logs and clear creeks inspire an adventurous spirit in …
Charting the Course for California State Parks
onA report that will chart the course for the future of California State Parks (CSP) is closer to its final form. The Parks Forward Commission met in San Francisco last Wednesday to discuss the most recent draft of the Parks Forward …
Top 5 Redwood Parks to Visit This Winter
on5. Calaveras Big Trees State Park As the story goes, in 1852 a hunter named Augustus T. Dowd wounded a grizzly bear and chased him into this forest, only to find trees that were three times bigger than any he’d …
Editor’s Notes: The Family Guide to the Giant Sequoias
onFor almost a year now we’ve worked on developing and producing the first-ever family guide to the redwoods. Initially we were going to produce a single edition, but after the writing and editing were underway, we soon realized that we …
Setting Fire to the Forest
onWe’ll do all the law’s allowin’/Tomorrow I’ll be right back plowin’/ settin’ the woods on fire —Hank Williams In a recent post, I discussed the role of natural disturbance in creating the forests we see today. This week, I’d like …
Finding Patterns in the Redwoods: It’s Easy as 1, 1, 2, 3…
onNature’s patterns are everywhere. Sometimes they’re obvious – we mammals, for instance, almost always have five fingers and five toes on each hand and foot. Sometimes these patterns aren’t nearly so apparent, but they’re still there nonetheless. The Fibonacci sequence …
Sequoias Suddenly Snowless
onI fastened on my snowshoes and set off for a wintertime hike among the giant sequoias. I quickly realized the snow in the forest was patchy at best and completely melted at worst, and it’s only March! It was shocking …
You Have a Chance to Speak for the Trees
onThere’s a lot of buzz in the news today about the proposed restoration of the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias in Yosemite National Park, including a front page article in the San Francisco Chronicle by Peter Fimrite.
