The Once and Future Forest: California's Iconic Redwoods

by Save the Redwoods League, Sam Hodder (Introduction), Gary Ferguson

In commemoration of Save the Redwoods League’s 100th anniversary, Heyday is proud to present a book that showcases both 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 new 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. In evoking the big trees as natural cathedrals wreathed in misty canopies, readers will be inspired to protect these majestic beings and to look for a more ecologically informed future. The volume itself is a luxurious objet of book arts: protected by a foil-embossed slipcase, this clothbound hardcover is constructed of the highest quality materials and features over 175 full-color images.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, History, Nature

224 pages, Hardcover

Published October 1, 2018

Reviews

[Andrew]

Simultaneously inspiring and sad.

[Mia]

Shortly after a recent trip through the Coast Redwoods of Northern California, I saw this book in my local library. It is a mostly interesting discussion by five different authors of the one hundred year history of conservation by the Save the Redwoods League. Much of the early history was not clear to me as it happened long before I moved to California. I sat on a beautiful redwood bench, crafted from recycled materials while reading part of this book. I have always loved being in groves of redwood trees and some of these essays capture the sense of awe of that I feel in these places. How fortunate we are that some wealthy and conservation-minded men and women saw the importance of protecting these ancient forests. Readers can skip the meandering and nearly unintelligible writing of Greg Sarris and the redundant and uninteresting writing of David Rains Wallace, but the other three writers present exceptional information and insights.

[Marilyn Smith]

5 excellent writers share their deep knowledge, wonder and awe of our majestic redwood forests. Here are some "blow your mind" amazing things like tech tools used for deeper study of climate and species unique to their canopy, lidar scanning revealing current health of stands, amazing genetic research of redwood future adaptability. More discovers of new species in the redwood canopy that only exist there That's just some of the science presented here. There are brilliant essays about indigenous peoples long connected bond with these majestic trees. This will appeal to lovers of redwoods, nature and the deep mystery of their importance. It’s brilliant.

[Addie Chek]

I really enjoyed this book and found it very informative without being boring or strictly factual. I felt that I learned quite a bit about the redwoods and enjoyed reading it. Not to mention, the photographs included are gorgeous!