wildfire

Shady Dell's stunning candelabra trees. Photo by Paolo Vescia

Save the Redwoods League and Mendocino Land Trust Reopen the Peter Douglas Trail to the Shady Dell Candelabra Redwood Trees

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Save the Redwoods League and Mendocino Land Trust today announced the reopening of the Peter Douglas Trail through the Shady Dell candelabra redwood trees in Mendocino County. This reopening follows more than a year of restoration and repair efforts to Usal Road and the Peter Douglas Trail that were damaged in the 2019 Usal Fire.

A woman wearing a hardhat, glasses, a yellow shirt, and khaki pants, holding a rake and standing in front of a giant sequoia.

Field Notes From a Sequoia Forest Fellow

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The League’s giant sequoia forest fellow shares her story about how she came to work in giant sequoia conservation, and what needs to be done to protect the forest and restore its fire resilience.

A man in a yellow shirt and hard hat stands in a road surrounded by giant sequoia trees.

Post-Fire Alder Creek Update

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Following the SQF Complex Fire, the fire impacts on the giant sequoia of the Alder Creek property appear to be beneficial.

Giant sequoia trees at Alder Creek

Resilience of giant sequoia put to the test in the Sierra

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We remain hopeful as SQF Complex Fire moves through Alder Creek “And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm …

Big Basin nature museum

Fire at Big Basin Redwoods State Park derails nature museum project

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Fire destroyed the Big Basin Redwoods State Park Nature Museum. Work on the project was well underway in the original building when the CZU August Lightning Complex Fire came through the headquarters on Aug. 18, destroying everything.

castle fire map

Sequoia Complex Fire nearing giant sequoia grove

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Fire nearing giant sequoia: We’re continuing to closely monitor the Sequoia Complex Fire in the Sequoia National Forest. As of right now, it appears the fire has started to move west, and is now about a mile away from the Freeman Creek giant sequoia grove.

Damaged Big Basin park gatehouse

Out of destruction, hope

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Since the League joined with Sempervirens Fund last week to create the Big Basin Recovery Fund, so many generous people have stepped forward to help. Pachama offered a $5,000 match to the Big Basin Recovery Fund to inspire others to take an active role in rebuilding this wondrous park and the forest around it. Together, we’ve raised more than $100,000 to fund the park’s immediate needs, as well as help lay the groundwork for its reconstruction.

Map of Castle Fire in Sequoia National Forest

Keeping an eye on fire burning near Sierra giant sequoia

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With attention on the coast redwoods, we’re also keeping our eye on fire near giant sequoia. Unlike their coast redwood cousins, giant sequoia lack the ability to sprout after fire, so a severe wildfire can outright kill these ancient trees.

Redwood Grove Loop trail at Henry Cowell Redwoods SP

Cautious optimism for coast redwoods amid fires

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Coast redwoods are naturally adapted to resist fire damage. It’s going to be a while before it’s safe for us to visit these forests and assess the fire effects, and it will be longer still before we fully understand the short- and long-term impacts on the trees. In the meantime, we will maintain that cautious optimism, knowing that the ancient giants have survived for centuries and lived through many wildfires.

A stand of trees, mostly Douglas fir, burned by the Usal Fire this week on Shady Dell. Photo by Richard Campbell

Good News/Bad News Following Fire at Shady Dell

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If you’ve been following our social media over the last week or so, you’ve heard about the Usal Fire, which started July 27 and burned about 180 acres. About 150 acres of the fire took place on our Shady Dell property. The fire is now almost completely contained.

We and our partners used controlled burning to reduce non-native vegetation on a League-protected property.

A Look Inside a Prescribed Fire

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Save the Redwoods just led a team of researchers and land stewards from all over California to learn about using prescribed fire (controlled burning) on private lands. Take a peek behind the scenes to see how we use fire as a tool to reduce hazardous buildups of combustible vegetation and improve the health of our forests across League properties and the redwood range.

We’re reducing the threat of severe wildfire by managing vegetation buildups in this Humboldt County forest.

New Grants Support Wildfire, Carbon Projects

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Two new awards from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) are supporting League work to increase the carbon sequestration potential of redwood and giant sequoia ecosystems, while protecting them and surrounding communities from the threat of severe wildfires.

Thick bark enables giant sequoia to withstand lower-severity ground fires

Grants Fund Research on Wildfire, Wildlife and a Rare Plant in Coast Redwood and Giant Sequoia

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Nearly $150,000 in research grants from Save the Redwoods League have been awarded as part of the 2018 grant cycle. Funding these projects is a significant component of fulfilling the League’s mission, and each of these projects will contribute to scientific knowledge of coast redwood and giant sequoia forests. This research can help us answer big questions that will protect the health of people, wildlife, and the forests.