Rain showers this morning with overcast skies during the afternoon hours. High 61F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%..
Rain ending this evening. Partial clearing overnight. Low 47F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%.
Updated: April 1, 2026 @ 9:52 am
Editor,
It is heartening that Big Basin and, in particular, its redwoods are making a comeback (Resilient redwood forest is a beacon of hope for California), SMDJ April 24-25 edition. By demonstrating their ability to withstand the destructive effects of fire, it is apparent, the only truly formidable enemy of these towering giants is us.
Logging has claimed 96% of the 2 million acres of coastal redwoods that once graced our state and, other than on protected properties like Big Basin, those that remain continue to be harvested for wood products. Typically, clear cutting is the method used to harvest them. Clear cutting releases large quantities of carbon into the atmosphere because whole groves of large trees are removed at once. Small conifers planted to replace those logged require decades of growth to restore the lost carbon back to the earth.
In 2020, a Save the Redwoods/Humboldt State University partnership released 11 years of research demonstrating that mature redwood forests store more carbon per acre than any other forest type and younger second-growth redwoods sequester more carbon than similarly-aged conifers. These findings make it clear, redwoods are potent weapons in the struggle against climate change. Instead of destroying them and replacing them with other species, we must protect them.
The case for banning the clear-cutting of redwoods and restoring previously logged redwood forests is a strong one. It behooves us all to demand our legislators and Governor Newsom act now before it’s too late. Tell them we need more redwoods and fewer chain saws.
Jennifer Normoyle
Hillsborough
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