California’s forests are home to some of the most special trees on earth

The world’s biggest tree and tallest tree — the General Sherman giant sequoia and the Hyperion redwood — grow in California. The Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest is home to the world’s oldest trees, with some reaching 5,000 years of age.

California’s forests support hundreds of thousands of jobs

California boasts treasured outdoor recreation hubs like Yosemite National Park and Lake Tahoe. These forested landscapes are major players in California’s massive outdoor recreation industry, which supports nearly 700,000 direct jobs and brings in $6.2 billion in tax revenue each year. California’s forests also support nearly 70,000 jobs in wood and paper products, as well as thousands of jobs in wildland fire fighting, forest conservation and more.

California’s forests can help slow climate change

California’s forests store vast amounts of carbon. Ancient redwood forests store more carbon in their above-ground structures — trunks, branches and leaves — than any other forest type on earth. And forests in the Sierra Nevada hold 420 million tons of carbon, roughly equivalent to California’s total annual carbon emissions. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in their wood and roots for hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of years

California’s forests supply water to millions of people

California’s forests supply over 60 percent of the state’s water. Mountain forests and meadows absorb rain and snowmelt, and slowly release this water during the dry summer months. Trees shade snow, preventing it from melting too quickly. They also help filter water and keep it clear of sediment. All this snow and water is also essential to California’s outdoor recreation industry, which draws anglers, canoers, skiers and hikers from around the world.

California’s forests are home to iconic wildlife

California’s vast forests provide invaluable habitat for elk, mountain lions, the rare Pacific fisher and other wildlife. The Sierra Nevada mountains are a globally recognized hub for biodiversity. Thirteen vertebrate animals are found only in the Sierra Nevada, including the long-eared chipmunk and golden trout. Adding to these rare creatures are 400 species of plant that only grow in this mountain range.

Spacing seedlings to mimic natural forests

Over a century ago, California’s forests were park-like places with widely spaced trees and sparse underbrush. We plant trees to mimic these healthy, natural conditions. Spacing seedlings far apart and in clumps of varying densities helps to ensure each tree has enough water during droughts. It also helps to stop wildfires from climbing up trees and jumping from one tree’s crown to the next — a process that transforms low-intensity ground fires into dangerous infernos.

Planting species-diverse mixes of native trees

The more biodiverse an ecosystem, the quicker it tends to bounce back after a threat. With this in mind, American Forests plants a diverse collection of native trees suited to the environment of each site. We also carefully observe planting sites to see which species are naturally regenerating. We then use these observations to inform which types of trees we plant.

We work with local partners to create and implement reforestation plans that protect forests in a changing climate

We work with governments, companies, nonprofit organizations and others on projects to restore and responsibly manage forests. Over the last 30 years, we’ve worked with local partners on over 145 reforestation projects across the state.

In the San Bernardino mountains, for example, we collaborate with landowners, California’s fire protection agency and the Mojave Desert Resource Conservation District to create and implement climate-informed reforestation plans. In and around the towns of Paradise and Concow, which were burned in the 2018 Camp Fire, we work on reforestation projects with the Bureau of Land Management, the Butte County Fire Safe Council and the Butte County Resource Conservation District on both public and private lands.

Eldorado National Forest

Bassi Falls in Eldorado National Forest. Photo credit: AlessandraRC shutterstock

The King Fire burned nearly 100,000 acres in and around the Eldorado National Forest in 2014. More than 30,000 acres burned so intensely that no trees survived, making the King one of the most ecologically damaging wildfires in California history.

American Forests has since planted hundreds of thousands of trees in Eldorado National Forest, and funded site preparation work that gives seedlings a better shot at survival. We secured a Sierra Corps Forestry Fellow to work with researchers in the Eldorado to design, implement and study climate-smart reforestation plots.

Areas burned in the 2018 Camp Fire

Workers set off to plant trees in the burn scar of the Camp Fire. Photo credit: Austin Rempel / American Forests

The 2018 Camp Fire, which claimed at least 85 lives and leveled the town of Paradise, was so intense it left many areas without any living trees. American Forests is tapping into the latest climate science to reforest this region and help stave off future severe wildfires.

We are planting 120,000 trees in public and private lands in the fire’s burn scar over the next two years. Some tree species will be planted at higher elevations than where they currently occur, to prepare for changing climate conditions. After the plantings, forest managers will use tools like controlled burns to prevent the dangerous buildup of flammable underbrush.