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Forest ecologist Steve Sillett is leading a team of scientists as they climb and measure every branch of some of the last and tallest old growth redwoods in California. Their goal is to learn how these ancient giants have historically responded to climatic shifts and to monitor how they are being impacted today by global warming.

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Science on the SPOT: Measuring Redwood Giants | KQED

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Forest ecologist Steve Sillett is leading a team of scientists as they climb and measure every branch of some of the last and tallest old growth redwoods in California. Their goal is to learn how these ancient giants have historically responded to climatic shifts and to monitor how they are being impacted today by global warming.

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Fiction

The Overstory by Richard Powers. W.W. Norton, 2018. The Overstory, winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction, is a sweeping, impassioned work of activism and resistance that is also a stunning evocation of-and paean to-the natural world.

Non-Fiction

California Forests and Woodlands: A Natural History by Verna R. Johnston. University of California Press, 1996. Gorgeous illustrations and photographs accompany vivid descriptions of the ecology of each of the state's dominant forest types, including redwood forests.

Coast Redwood: A Natural and Cultural History by Michael G. Barbour (Ed.), John Evarts (Ed.), Marjorie Popper (Ed.). Cachuma Press, 2001. This handsome book covers the entire range of coast redwood from the Big Sur coast to the southwestern corner of Oregon and offers a comprehensive account of the ecology and human history of earth's tallest tree.

The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate―Discoveries from A Secret World (The Mysteries of Nature) by Peter Wohlleben. Greystone Books, 2016. Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him.

Rare Bird: Pursuing the Mystery of the Marbled Murrelet by Maria Mudd-Ruth. Mountaineers Books, 2005. Part naturalist detective story and part environmental inquiry, this book celebrates the fascinating world of an endangered seabird that depends on the contested old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest for its survival.

The Redwood Forest: History, Ecology, and Conservation of the Coast Redwoods by Reed F. Noss. Save the Redwoods League, 1999. This book provides powerful scientific evidence arguing for ecosystem-level conservation of the coast redwoods.

Remarkable Trees of the World by Thomas Pakenham. WW Norton, 2002. Stunning photography and descriptions of unique trees, including redwoods, can be enjoyed in this photo essay.

The Sempervirens Story: A Century of Preserving California's Ancient Redwood Forest, 1900-2000 by Willie Yaryan and Denzil and Jennie Verado. Sempervirens Fund Press, 2000. This book contains many contemporary and archival photographs and is an intimate historical narrative about the Sempervirens Fund and its predecessor organization, Sempervirens Club.

Song of the Redwood Tree by Walt Whitman in Leaves of Grass, 1891-2. Poet Walt Whitman sings of redwood forests as he writes about an emerging America after the Civil War.

Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California's Natural Resources by M. Kat Anderson. University of California Press, 2005. Marvelously detailed and beautifully written, Tending the Wild is an unparalleled examination of Native American knowledge and uses of California's natural resources that reshapes our understanding of native cultures and shows how we might begin to use their knowledge in our own conservation efforts.

Who Saved the Redwoods: The Unsung Heroines of the 1920s Who Fought for Our Redwood Forests by James Wasserman and Laura Wasserman. Algora Publishing 2019. This history of the early 1900s recalls the Progressive Era crusades of women and men who prevailed against great odds, protecting the best of California's northern redwood forests.

Wild Trees: A Story of Passion and Daring by Richard Preston. Random House, 2007. This account is a unique perspective from those who climb the giants and grow to love them and their place in the biosphere.

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Read & Watch Redwoods Resources Inspiring and Educational Videos, Books, and More About Redwood Trees Redwood trees have captured the hearts and imaginations of people for millennia. We are still in awe of these ancient giants of the forest today. Stay inspired with us! Sempervirens Fund staff and supporters have gathered their favorite resources on...

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Redwoods are integral to the practical and spiritual lives of many native tribes along the California coast. For example, the Yurok use redwoods to build homes, sweathouses, canoes, furniture and other objects, and performed ceremonies when harvesting redwoods or carving a canoe. And below the coast redwood region, in the Santa Barbara Channel area, the Chumash make use of large redwood drift logs to carve strong, light oceangoing canoes. California's native tribes are vital stewards of these lands today.

The native people of the North Coast region have made the redwood forests and associated ecosystems their home for thousands of years. These American Indians spoke many different languages and held numerous and distinct identities. Today, the descendants of these people continue to live on and off reservations in the redwood region.

Prior to Euro-American contact, American Indians had adapted well to this environment. Their profound religious beliefs, extensive knowledge of the natural world, languages, customs, and perseverance continue to be a source of admiration for other cultures.

American Indians in the region belonged to many tribes, although no one tribe dominated. Indeed, the concept of "tribe" does not describe very well the traditional political complexity of the area. There were scores of villages that dotted the coast and lined the major rivers; each of these villages was more or less politically independent, yet linked to one another by intricate networks of economic, social, and religious ties.

Food sources important to the native peoples included deer, elk, fish from the ocean, rivers, and streams, nuts, berries, and seeds. Efficient and reliable hunting, fishing, and gathering methods were always paired with a deep spiritual awareness of nature's balance.

From the Decolonial Atlas

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From the beginning Redwoods are integral to the practical and spiritual lives of many native tribes along the California coast. For example, the Yurok use redwoods to build homes, sweathouses, canoes, furniture and other objects, and performed ceremonies when harvesting redwoods or carving a canoe.

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And worksheet

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Explore the redwood forest with this interactive websearch that visits all aspects of redwood forest ecology on the North Coast.

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‎The coast redwood forests (Sequoia sempervirens) of northern California once covered over two million acres. Due to 150 years of logging, only 4% of the original forest remains, mostly protected by California State Parks and the National Park Service. The canopy of these old-growth forests-hundreds...

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We need to get this on the iPads. I'll ask Mike.

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‎The coast redwood forests (Sequoia sempervirens) of northern California once covered over two million acres. Due to 150 years of logging, only 4% of the original forest remains, mostly protected by California State Parks and the National Park Service. The canopy of these old-growth forests-hundreds...

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"The Sequoia Lives On" Story Time at Calaveras Big Trees State Park

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Be Amazed: Learn about the Giant Sequoia at Calaveras Big Trees State Park

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Power of Partnerships: Redwoods and Climate Change at Redwood National and State Parks

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Becoming the world's tallest trees

Place-based Elementary School (3rd-5th) Curriculum

This Elementary School redwood curriculum is built for students to explore questions surrounding the magical coast redwoods.

Key questions students will answer:

Why do redwoods grow where they do?

Why are redwoods the tallest living things on Earth?

Elements of the lesson to consider:

Download Lesson Overview

The class should work through 1-2 pages per day and use the graphic organizer to summarize what they learn.

Have students record a "score" for how redwoods stack up to the competition with respect to survival.

Have students create a classroom redwood journal where they develop their thoughts about the guiding question, create models about how redwoods function, or ask more questions they hope to discover.

Audio readings are provided to front load the class before they read on their own or again as a group.

NGSS Standards

3-LS4-3. Construct an argument with evidence that in a particular habitat some organisms can survive well, some survive less well, and some cannot survive at all.

3-LS4-4. Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.*

4-LS1-1. Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.

4-LS1.A. Structure and Function Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction.

4-ESS2-2. Analyze and interpret data from maps to describe patterns of Earth's features.

5-LS1-1. Support an argument that plants get the materials they need for growth chiefly from air and water.

5-LS2-1. Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

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This Elementary School redwood curriculum is built for students to explore questions surrounding the magical coast redwoods. Key questions students will answer: Why do redwoods grow where they do? Why are redwoods the tallest living things on Earth? Download Lesson Overview The class should work through 1-2 pages per day and use the graphic organizer to summarize what they learn.

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Review and order FREE League material.

Through a variety of partnerships, the League provides education and interpretation programs that encourage all youth to experience the redwoods in ways that are personally relevant and inspiring.

Our Redwood Connect Grants are designed to foster equitable access to parks, meaningful and community-driven connections with nature, and a deeper understanding of the many different attributes and benefits of the redwood forest.

Maps

Explore these maps about the redwood range and parks:

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For Educators | Save the Redwoods League

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Review and order FREE League material. Through a variety of partnerships, the League provides education and interpretation programs that encourage all youth to experience the redwoods in ways that are personally relevant and inspiring.