Redwoods: A climate action plan with them...and for them

We must protect redwoods. Not just because they are in danger of extinction like so many species but because if we can protect redwoods from climate change, they can help protect all of us from climate change. In California, and perhaps around the world, redwoods are the nature-based climate solution.

Towering over other trees as the planet’s tallest tree isn’t just awe-inspiring, it is part of what makes coast redwoods climate champions. Redwoods’ height allows them to pack away more carbon than any other species and helps them create their own microclimates through shade and moisture condensation — keeping the forest wetter and cooler in hotter, drier conditions.

“Healthy redwood forests offer refuge to a diversity of plants and wildlife — helping them survive climate change — while locking 67% more carbon away than other protected lands in the region and mitigating climate change,” explained Beatrix Jiménez-Helsley, natural resource manager at Sempervirens Fund.

So, how can we protect our greatest ally against climate change in the face of climate change?

In the Santa Cruz mountains where Sempervirens Fund began protecting redwoods as California’s first land trust in 1900, redwoods are at the southernmost end of their range.

“They have experienced devastating human impacts, from historic clear-cut logging and 100 years of fire suppression to today’s climate change disasters like the severe 2020 CZU Fire followed by atmospheric river storms in 2023,” Melisa Cambron Perez, field operations manager, said.

As we have for more than a century, Sempervirens Fund is taking action for redwoods to survive — and we have a plan.

We are centering our conservation efforts on climate resiliency, for redwoods and the habitats they support, and toward California’s 30x30 climate goals. Advanced research, data, modeling and partnerships are giving us a comprehensive view into the lands most important to protect today for redwoods to endure climate change and thrive.

We are accelerating our pace to protect 7,000 acres of the most climate-resilient remaining forests by 2030. According to Perez, protecting land where redwoods will thrive, now and in the future, prioritizes connectivity to other protected lands, elevation, and sources of water. Protecting 7,000 acres will expand habitat, bolster our region’s largest swath of protected land around important state parks, and contribute one-third of the region’s conserved lands for California’s 30x30 goals.

Merging data, research, expertise and traditional Indigenous knowledge, we will steward our protected forests for resilience to decrease the risk of catastrophic fires and increase redwoods’ estimated regional carbon storage capacity on the lands we protect by 2050.

“Our forest management practices, including selective tree thinning, prescribed fire and fuel reduction, will help trees grow faster, thereby expanding carbon storage, improving conditions for dynamic regional biodiversity and supporting forest recovery,” Perez said.

“By protecting and stewarding redwood forests, communities in the region will be better protected from the increasing threats of climate change through conserved lands’ ecosystem services, like reducing water runoff by as much as 80% to help retain water in the region during droughts and decrease flood impacts to the community and water quality,” she added.

Protecting 30% of our region’s lands will increase the protection of drinking water sources and redwood microclimates that buffer temperature rises and storm impacts on local communities and help to support equitable access to nature for all.

The alarms have rung, and we are responding. This moment deserves the best of all of us. We invite you to learn more about our climate action plan for redwoods and connect with us to share ideas about ways conserved lands can help in the fight for survival in a changing climate.

About Sempervirens Fund

Sempervirens Fund’s mission is to protect and permanently preserve redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) forests, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and other important natural and scenic features of California’s Santa Cruz mountains, and to encourage public appreciation and enjoyment of this environment. Learn more.