Northern California Coastal Forests

http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24723

Redwoods: Then And Now
Northern California coastal forests comprise a total of 5,100 square miles, stretching from the Del Norte Country on the California-Oregon border all the way down to Santa Cruz County. This ecosystem barely reaches further than 45 miles inland the coast.

Old Growth Redwood Forests

The constantly moist atmosphere caused by the fog and storms from the Pacific Ocean characterizes the Northern California coastal forests. Coastal forests may also be distinguished by their dominance of Redwoods. Other trees surrounding the area include Douglass-Firs, tanoaks, Western Hemlocks, Sitka spruce, Bigleaf maple, California bay, Cedar trees, Madrones, and Oak trees. Redwoods tend to stick to the valley bottoms (where there is plentiful fog drip, alluvial soil, and period floods every 30-60 years), while other tree species dwell in drier regions that are more fire prone. A rich understory of herbs, shrubs, treelets, ferns, and fungi flourish underneath all these trees.


Coastal forests are also home to several animal species such as bears, fishers, pine martens, warblers, Marbled Murrelets, Pacific Giant Salamanders, Red-Bellied newts, tailed frogs, and banana slugs. They are also breeding waters for Silver Salmon and Steelhead Trout.


Historically, the forest had an abundance of several invertebrate species such as beetles, harvestman, spiders, millipedes, and freshwater mussels. However, since these species thrive alongside old growth Redwood Forests, which are constantly on decline, these species will possibly become extinct soon. The coastal forests were also known to have grasslands closer to the coastline, on terraces below the Redwoods. In these grasslands, spring wildflowers and shrubs grow, but these areas are now being replaced by farmland and pasture.


Human Impacts: Oh, Look at What We've Done
The conservation status of the coastal forests on a scale of 1 to 5 is a 1. This means that the conservation status is in critical condition, which can only make sense seeing as how only 3% of original redwood forests remain--1.5% of which is privately owned and the other 1.5% federally owned . 


The poor conservation status of coastal forests in California can largely be blamed on the impact that humans have had on the area. Currently, the eco-region is most threatened by logging, development, fire suppression, and invasive species.

Redwood Destruction

Logging, however, bears the worst news for the coastal forests by far. In many cases, logging has even led to the complete extinction of whole populations. Strobeen’s Parnassian butterfly, which disappeared 33 years ago, went extinct after the loss of its host plant. The lotis blue butterfly also disappeared in 1983 under such tensed environment. Species such as the marbled murrelets, which live off of old growth species, continue to be threatened to this day. Deforestation has also been known to cause changes in rainfall conditions and understory moisture. Salmon populations are also strained since their migrations have been compromised by the stream destructions from logging, mining, and overfishing in the area. Pacific Lumber, one of the most prominent logging and sawmill operations, has significantly contributed to the loss of redwood forests over the years in their search for the valuable timber that redwoods offer.

California Redwood

Moreover, alteration of several surrounding watersheds from development and logging also serve to undermine many of the remaining groves of both protected and unprotected redwoods. Watersheds are amongst one of the known causes for increasing the frequency and severity of floods, fires, and sedimentation. Suppression of fire may even cause “hot fires” that can destroy individual trees and species or even allow for other species of trees to outcompete the younger redwoods.


Lastly, urbanization also threatens this area due to the spread of urban locations between Monterey and San Francisco and the area north of San Francisco.

Benefits: What the Forests Give Us
Forests provide many ecosystem services. This includes: purifying air and water, producing and maintaining soil, absorbing carbon dioxide through carbon storage, providing wildlife habitats, and providing humans with wood and recreation. In addition, Redwoods have a high tolerance for withstanding fires. Benefits of fire ecology consist of aiding nutrient recycling, clearing the understory, controlling forest insects and diseases, and tending the soil for seeds.


Protected Areas: What's the Status?

Most of the remaining Redwoods are young--replacing old growth 

These are the Protected Areas:

• Redwood National and State Parks 
• Humboldt Redwoods State Park
• Big Basin Redwoods State Park
• Headwaters Forest Reserve
• Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve

Though all five of the above locations have been deemed as protected areas for coastal forests, Redwood National Park is the only hope for survival of redwood ecosystems in the future. However, even Redwood’s chances of successfully maintaining the livelihood of coastal forests is uncertain due to its size and surrounding land use. Protected areas like Big Basin Redwoods State Park are too small to sustain functioning forests in the future. Jedediah Smith State Park, Del Norte Redwood State Parks, and King’s Range Conservation Area (which was almost made into a National Park) are further examples of reserves that are too small to realistically be prospects for long-term conservation of coastal forests.

The Future: What Lies Ahead?
As logging and development continue to threaten coastal forests, it is likely that any remaining patches of Redwoods are too small to maintain groves for the future. The continuation of logging will eventually cause for more frequent, violent floods, fires, and sedimentation. Fires may wipe out Redwoods, but also several other species of trees. As old growth disappears, specialist species will disappear due to the disastrous ecological changes of their habitats. Several species will even go extinct and salmons will no longer be able to migrate. Urbanization will further encroach upon coastal forests and threaten their survival.


What’s more is that compromising agreements between State and Federal agencies and companies like Pacific Lumber cause us to have a great source of doubt in the survival of the remaining forests. With such knowledge and resources that we have acquired, we should be able to provide the ample protect that is demanded by coastal forests. However, it is clear that the government and its citizens have neglected to protect this eco-region and thus, have let the destruction continue. 

Past over-logging has caused hardwoods to outcompete Redwood and Douglass-Fir trees 

Future Prospects: What Can We Do? 
In order to ensure the survival of the remaining forests of coastal Northern California, strict protection methods must be implemented. One way to do this is through restoration conservation, which protects both plants and animals. The remaining forests of the Northern California Coast call for strict protection to ensure long-term regeneration and
ecological viability.  One way to go about is through restoration conservation.  This includes both the plant and animal life.  It should be noted that the structures, ecological processes, and biological assemblages of old growth forests are complex and difficult to duplicate in younger forests. Thus, old growth forests must be protected the most. These remaining patches of redwood call for strict care in order to replenish their groves and maintain their surrounding watersheds. Long-term plans for replenishment and restoration projects for degraded forest habitats should be created and put into practice—especially in those areas that have undisturbed patches. Specialists would serve to benefit the eco-region through conducting surveys and conservation analyses on terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates.   
But how do we do this? 
There are three main methods:


Land Acquisition
Land is purchased at market value by a private source and then later transferred to California State Parks or other public agencies to protect.


Conservation Easements
Private land is purchased without buying its fee title and stays in private ownership. This allows for the protection of the site’s natural resources and limits development on the land in return for compensation through tax deduction or cash payment.  


Trail Easements
Easements purchased on private land, which allows for the development of public trails.
This helps to connect the surrounding redwood parks in the region with one another. 


Reference List: Why We Know What We Know

Berg, Linda R., and Mary Catherine. Hager. Visualizing Environmental Science. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley, 2009. Print. 

Bosch, C. A. "Redwoods: A Population Model." Science 172.3981 (1971): 345-49. Print. 

Hogan, Michael C. "Northern California Coastal Forests." Encyclopedia of Earth. World Wildlife Fund, 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Northern_California_coastal_forests?topic=49597>. 

"Northern California Coastal Forests." Vanderbilt.edu. Vanderbilt, 2005. Web. 11 Nov. 2011. <http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/ecoregions/50519.htm>. 

Noss, Reed F. The Redwood Forest: History, Ecology, and Conservation of the Coast Redwoods. Washington, D.C.: Island, 2000. Print. 

Olsen, and John Sawyer. "Terrestrial Ecoregions -- Northern California Coastal Forests (NA0519)." Wildlife Conservation, Endangered Species Conservation. World Wildlife Fund, 2001. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0519_full.html>. 

Photograph. California Department of Parks and Recreation. California Department of Parks and Recreation, 2011. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24723>. 

Photograph. Lockergnome. Ron Schenone, 15 Feb. 2010. Web. 28 Nov. 2011. <http://www.lockergnome.com/blade/2010/02/15/redwood-trees-being-threaten-by-a-lack-of-fog/>. 

Photograph. Operation Redwood. Operation Redwood. Web. 27 Nov. 2011. <http://operationredwood.com/theredwoodforest.php>. 

Photograph. World Wildlife. World Wildlife Fund, 2001. Web. 23 Nov. 2011. <http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/na/na0519_full.html>. 

Sanders, Robert. "Fog Has Declined in past Century along California’s Redwood Coast." UC Berkeley News Center. UC Berkeley, 16 Feb. 2010. Web. 15 Nov. 2011. <http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2010/02/16/fog_redwoods/>. 

"Sempervirens Fund | Saving Redwoods." Sempervirens Fund | Preserving Redwood Forests Since 1900. Sempervirens Fund, 22 Nov. 2011. Web. 25 Nov. 2011. <http://www.sempervirens.org/savingredwoods.php>. 

"Usal Redwood Forest: Acres by Age Class." Chart. Redwood Forest Foundation. Redwood Forest Foundation. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.rffi.org/Usal-timber.html>. 

"Usal Redwood Forest: Species Composition by Percent of Total Volume." Chart. Redwood Forest Foundation. Redwood Forest Foundation. Web. 29 Nov. 2011. <http://www.rffi.org/Usal-timber.html>. 

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