Skip to content
A rough barked trunk of a redwood tree looms large rising up from the lower left to the sky textured by the leafy canopy of the surrounding forest cast golden orange and dark green tones

Earth Month of Action

As we grapple with a changing climate, the need to take action for the 52nd Earth Day on April 22 feels more urgent than ever. We have put together a calendar of 30 actions—from planting a native garden to experiencing forest bathing—you can take throughout the month to protect the natural world close to you. Learn about this week’s actions to help make a bigger impact together!

Read More
Thin white threads of mycelium cross, tangle, and create a web woven through dark soil, photo by Kirill Ignatyev

A Tangled Web: Redwoods, Colonialism, Eugenics, and Climate Change

Many people may not realize when walking among redwood forests that their conservation is tied up in a natural and social history that is as complex as the trees are visually spectacular. It is precisely the traits that give the redwoods their splendor that led to one particularly nefarious argument for their conservation—the then-emerging field of eugenics. Read on to learn more about how eugenics is entangled with the history of redwoods conservation.

Read More

DEIJ Reading List

As we work to achieve our mission to protect redwoods and create public access to lands, it is critical to center Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (DEIJ) across all of our work. As we move forward on this journey, our staff have shared some of the books that have served as guideposts for their own DEIJ journeys as we embark on this work together.

Read More

Story of a Seedling

Seeds–the size of a tomato’s–can grow into the tallest trees on earth, restore the footprint of a decimated forest, and help support life–of plants, animals, and people–for thousands of years. But it won’t be easy. Many challenges lie in waiting first. Read on for the story of a redwood seedling plucked from its home to grow safely, only to return and valiantly help restore the forests and habitats of San Vicente Redwoods.

Read More
An illustration of hands cupping acorns, cones, and wildflowers with flames dancing up to silhouetted redwood trees against a dark orange sun on a smokey background, by Jane Kim, Ink Dwell

Redwoods and Climate Part 3

In the third part of a new series by Julia Busiek about the impacts of climate on redwoods, we explore how human-caused conditions that led to the CZU fire have been building since the beginning of European colonization, and what, if anything, can be done to prevent it from happening again.

Read More
Underground Allies Mycelium illustration by Rebecca Zwanzig, High West Wild

Underground Allies: The Importance of Fungi in Redwood Conservation

Redwood trees are world famous, and each year, their allure draws millions of visitors from around the world. What most park visitors overlook, however, is a lesser-known group of organisms whose biology is vital to survival of the trees. These organisms are fungi, and we would be wise to pay attention to them.

Read More
Family circles of coast redwood trees, their bark gray from the 2020 CZU fire but covered in the bright green fuzz of new growth, stand tall against a bright blue sky in Big Basin State Park in 2022

Big Basin Returns

In July 2022, Big Basin re-opened its gates, and as we see our way past the two-year anniversary of the CZU fire, people are visiting once more. We talked to staff and interns about their experiences and spoke with our director of conservation about our work at the park and at a newly acquired nearby property that may well have a role in the park’s future.

Read More
Counselor leads youth hiking to the Valley of the Giants at Camp Jones Gulch. Boys look up toward gisant redwoods with awe and smiles on their faces.

Camp Jones Gulch: Childhood Connections Create Conservationists

Camp Jones Gulch has sparked a passion for the outdoors for thousands of young people. We talked with campers and the Y of San Francisco’s outdoor education leaders about how protecting Camp Jones Gulch protects critical, diverse habitats, and outdoor education and opportunities with exponential impact for the environmental movement.

Read More
Climate And Redwoods Tree Rings With Increments By Ink Dwell

Redwoods and Climate Part 2

In the second part of a new series by Julia Busiek about the impacts of climate on redwoods, we explore emerging research into tree rings and tree morphology and what it may mean for redwoods—and us—in an increasingly volatile climate.

Read More
End Of Rain DSC03767 By Scott Ordway

The End of Rain

As temperatures soar, droughts become more frequent, and fire seasons lengthen, does it change how we see the land? Scott Ordway, an award-winning composer and multimedia artist, explored those questions and shared his reflections through words, sounds, and images with the hope that art experiences like these can help strengthen connections with nature–the basis for action.

Read More

Stay Connected

CLOSE

PROTECT REDWOODS NOW

$250,000 Year-End Matching Gift Challenge

Donate today and join efforts to preserve majestic redwoods for generations to come.

Don’t wait! All gifts matched until December 31st.

Match My Gift