32 THE, AU DU BON, BGO 
ALL ABOUT THOSE REDWOODS 
by RAYMOND PAIGE 
Of the original 2,000,000 acres of virgin coast redwoods, only 10% remair 
and only 242% are protected in state parks. Logging operations destroy 
15,000 acres of virgin redwood stands each year. 
Since 1918, the Save-the-Redwoods League has raised over $13,500,00( 
in private funds. With matching state funds, a total of $23,000,000 has beer 
made available, enabling the League to add over 100,000 acres to state 
redwood parks. This land is now valued at $250,000,000. 
Old growth timber comprises only about 50,000 of the 100,000 acres ir 
the 28 state parks. More virgin timber falls in four years than is now pre. 
served in state parks. The heaviest logging in recent years has been re. 
stricted to lands proposed for inclusion in the national park or bordering 
existing state parks. 
Clear-cutting and bulldozing the earth into piles to cushion the falling 
giants has devastating effects on the watersheds and wildlife similar tc 
those of a forest fire. In 1955, unwise logging upstream on Bull Creek 
resulted in floods which toppled more than 300 giants. Tree farms may 
perpetuate the redwoods, but the redwood ecology which evolved ove 
thousands of years is gone forever. Clear-cutting in the watershed remove: 
virtually all plant as well as tree cover. Wildlife habitat is destroyed, anc 
some animals as well as plants may face near extinction. Erosion wil 
cause subtle changes in the drainage patterns by cutting deep gullies 
excessive run-off will cause pollution of the streams increasing their sil 
load. The possible combination of the above factors with heavy rain; 
would result in damaging floods. 
In November of 1967, the U.S. Senate passed bill S.2515 calling for the 
purchase of 36,000 acres of privately-owned land in the Mill Creek, Red 
wood Creek and Prairie Creek watersheds at a cost of $100,000,000. Thi; 
national park bill provides the option of including the Jedediah Smith 
Del Norte Coast, and Prairie Creek Redwood state parks within the na 
tional park. Inclusion of the state parks would result in a 66,000-acre park 
Although much of the private lands is second growth, these areas art 
required to round out watersheds and protect virgin stands in present parks 
This land will connect the three state parks and extend into the lowe 
Redwood Creek watershed to the Tall Trees Area where the world’s talles 
tree stands—367.8 feet. S.2515 would produce a national park with bottom 
lands, streams, meadows, sandy beaches, rocky shores, rain-forest groves 
the world’s tallest trees and nearly forty miles of beautiful coast on th 
world’s largest ocean. 
A better park could be established, and many proposals seek a large: 
park. A more complete inclusion of watershed boundaries within the parl 
could prevent a repetition of the 1955 disaster. The park could be destroyec 
from outside its boundaries. The pressure of today’s civilization—and thi 
threat of tomorrow’s—make it imperative to the preservation of this are: 
that the ecology of the region be respected in setting boundaries. Tht 
Everglades National Park and the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary have en 
countered serious problems through their inability to control their uppei 
watershed. 
Extension of the park south and east along Redwood Creek woulc 
provide eight solid miles of virgin growth redwoods and ensure nearly 
