The Once and Future Forest: California's Iconic Redwoods

Five writers capture the majesty and grandeur of California’s famed redwoods

Originally published in celebration of Save the Redwoods League’s 100th anniversary, and here newly adapted for a trade audience, The Once and Future Forest explores the grandeur of the redwood ecosystems that sustain California and the deep love they have engendered in scientists, writers, artists, and the general public. At the heart of this celebration are five expansive essays by Gary Ferguson, David Harris, Meg Lowman, Greg Sarris, and David Rains Wallace. These pieces discuss a multitude of topics, including the fascinating science of redwoods, the League’s history of redwoods conservation, and the big trees’ significance to Indigenous cultures; but what unites the essays aside from their theme is awe. Readers will be inspired to protect these majestic beings and to look for a more ecologically informed future.

Save the Redwoods League is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to protect and restore California’s redwoods and connect people to the peace and beauty of redwood forests. The League protects redwoods by purchasing redwood forests and the surrounding land needed to nurture them, and it restores redwood forests by innovating science and technology that can improve stewardship and accelerate forest regeneration. By protecting more than 200,000 acres and helping to create 66 redwood parks and reserves, the League builds connections among people and the redwood forests. The League’s work is grounded in the principles of conservation biology, research, and improving our collective understanding and appreciations of the redwoods. Read more at savetheredwoods.org.