Save the Redwoods League

Protect - we preserve California's vital redwood forests by acquiring and protecting the remaining old-growth redwood groves and working to double the amount of coast redwood acreage in parks, reserves, and sustainable working forests under conservation easements. In 2023, we purchased the 394-acre russian river Redwoods property in sonoma county, taking this recovering coast redwood forest out of commercial timber harvest and safeguarding approximately 1 mile of russian river frontage. In mendocino county, we purchased a conservation easement on the largest non-industrial private forest in the big river watershed, the 3,862-acre weger ranch, which adjoins and buffers montgomery woods state natural reserve. the weger agreement includes the acquisition by California state parks of rocky ridge, an 80-acre parcel that adds old-growth Redwoods, towering douglas-firs, and the headwaters of montgomery creek to montgomery woods.

Connect - we create and expand access to unforgettable Redwoods experiences, so all people can find peace and beauty in the forest. With our partners, we announced the vision for 'o rew Redwoods gateway, a new Redwoods destination at the southern entrance to redwood national and state parks. the signed mou includes the future transfer of 'o rew to the yurok tribe for permanent ownership and an innovative co-stewardship agreement with the national park service and California state parks. Together with our park partners, we opened the new rancho del oso welcome center at big basin Redwoods state park and also presented the second annual California state parks week. Across the redwood landscape, over 10,000 young people and families from historically underrepresented communities participated in experiences through our education and outreach programs. We also launched season four of the i'll go if you go podcast, highlighting diverse emergent leaders in conservation.

Restore - we restore ecosystems throughout California's redwood ranges, leveraging the best available science to accelerate healing and ensure the redwood forests thrive into the future. Redwoods rising, our partnership with California state parks and the national park service, is restoring 70,000 acres of previously logged forest within redwood national and state parks. In 2023 we completed 577 acres of forestry treatments, removed 6 miles of old logging roads, and collected data on 24 different stream sites. Additionally, the Redwoods rising apprentice program provided forestry experience and professional skills building to 11 local college students. In the sierra Nevada, we reaffirmed our commitment to the giant sequoias' survival in an era of extreme wildfire. We actively participated in the giant sequoia lands coalition and conducted post-fire restoration and fire resiliency work in three sequoia groves in 2023, including monitoring research plots to assess the effectiveness of post-fire treatments. We also planned fire resilience and restoration work in big basin Redwoods, ao nuevo, and butano state parks in the santa cruz mountains. Biomass revenue - Save the Redwoods League conducts forest restoration and recovery work using time-tested forest management techniques to reduce the severity of catastrophic fires and restore more natural conditions to coast redwood and giant sequoia forests after decades of commercial logging and fire suppression. the approach relies on proven strategies guided by professional foresters, firefighters, indigenous tribes, and scientists. Restoration includes removing excess vegetation from forests by felling some hazard, infested, or diseased trees; thinning dense, overgrown stands of trees and underbrush; and safely conducting controlled burns led by tribes and forestry professionals. Rather than leaving biomass generated from restoration activities in the forest, which would increase fire risk, some is processed and sold locally for wood, mulch, or energy production, and generated biomass revenue is used to partially offset the much higher costs of the operations and increase program sustainability. In addition, the forest restoration programs bring demonstrated socioeconomic benefits to disadvantaged communities in northern California.