By Linda Skeff, Program Director, SLV Habitat Restoration Program and Kirsten Hill, PhD
“Don’t cut any trees right away; remember you live in a forest now!” a friend and long-time resident of San Lorenzo Valley told me when I first moved here. She was quite concerned that new San Lorenzo Valley residents often remove native trees as a first priority. We all worry that trees might fall on our house or increase our fire risk. At the same time, we overlook the importance of the native trees and understory plants as habitat, an intricate web of life that exists around our houses that we know little about. I decided to research the risks and benefits of having trees so close to our house.
I learned that redwoods pose relatively little threat to us when compared to the benefit of leaving them standing. In fact, most native trees such as oaks, bays, maples and especially redwoods are fire resistant. Coastal redwood trees are not only the tallest and longest lived trees on the planet, but also the most disease resistant of all trees. Redwood trees provide an enormous benefit to us by storing carbon in their wood, thus helping to buffer against climate change by absorbing carbon out of the atmosphere. In addition, the canopies of redwoods are unique ecosystems. Researchers have found birds, worms, salamanders, mammals and plants such as ferns and huckleberries living in their canopies. They also provide nesting habitat for the endangered marbled murrelet, a coastal bird species that builds nests only in old growth forests. In addition, redwood forests keep our local creeks cool for the endangered coho salmon that spawn here.
I also found that redwood trees are an ancient species, around since the time of dinosaurs, yet now in danger of extinction and struggling with the effects of accelerating climate change. (see eol.org from the Museum of Natural History for a more in depth history of the species). Prior to commercial logging in California in the 1850s, it is estimated that redwood forests covered more than two million acres along a 450-mile strip of California’s coast from Big Sur to the Oregon border. However, with the discovery of gold in California came a high demand for lumber. Now only five percent of the original old-growth forest remains to support this unique habitat.
I realized that my friend was trying to tell me that we may do ourselves and our neighbors (including wildlife) a disservice by hastily removing these trees without first considering their many benefits. One doesn’t have to travel far to realize that we live in a place of unsurpassed and unmistakable grandeur. Redwoods survive here in the Santa Cruz Mountains because of our heavier winter rainfall and also our summer fog. They have a special ability to absorb fog moisture through their leaves, and they collect fog drip at their roots, helping to keep the understory forest cool and moist during drought.
The joy touching the magical forest garden can be intense. However, rather than removing your trees, start by removing the most harmful species first. Non-native, invasive plants such as English ivy, vinca, and Himalayan blackberry smother native plants and degrade habitat for birds and wildlife. When embarking on restoration, you will need to be methodical and protect all existing native plants. As you remove invasive plants, native plants will spread and repopulate the area you are restoring. When possible, cover restored areas with chips or the duff from the forest that accumulates on surfaces such as driveways, paths and decks. This will provide nutrients and beneficial microbes and help your soil retain moisture and prevent erosion. In future articles we will address other approaches to restoring your forest.San Lorenzo Valley Habitat Restoration Program | P.O. Box 362 | Brookdale, CA 95007 | lindaskeff@gmail.com | slvhabitatrestoration.org
The San Lorenzo Valley Habitat Restoration Program is sponsored by the Valley Women’s Club. The program integrates environmental and community needs to restore the riparian habitat and ensure ongoing health and beauty of the watershed. For more info visit: valleywomensclug.org