Save a Forest in Southworth, WA

Southworth Forest Update:

Coast Redwoods Introduced to Southworth Forest

Posted February 11, 2024 by Southworth Forest

The first fifteen coast redwoods in the Southworth Forest were sourced from Scenic Hill Farm Nursery in Albany, Oregon and planted in February 2024.

As climate change increasingly threatens Western Washington trees with drought and disease, coast redwoods, the famed icons of magnificence from the Northern Californian coastline, are a promising replacement for species in decline, like Western red cedar and Western hemlock. They have already been migrating north over the last century, and their ability to remove immense amounts of carbon from the atmosphere may prove vital for Washington's forests.

Coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens, which keenly translates to "always living") are incredibly hearty and resist rot, fire, and insects. They are actually challenging to kill, sprouting up from the base for decades even after its parent stump is cut. These trees have been planted in the Pacific Northwest for over a hundred years, including prominent placement in Seattle itself. They have been the subject of industrial tree planting in the region as well.

Evidence so far shows that coast redwoods have been complimentary neighbors to more native species like Douglas fir and the cedars, providing a similar habitat for animal species and resisting the increasingly warm summers caused by climate change. As almost 90% of these redwoods have been eliminated by drought, fire, and cutting further south, their migration north represents a fantastic opportunity to continue allowing these trees to thrive.

Several organizations are attempting to propagate some of the oldest redwoods in the world. The Archangel Ancient Tree Archive based in Michigan is one such arborist group, and its work was the subject of a 10-minute award-winning film, Moving the Giants: An Urgent Plan to Save the Planet. Despite the redwoods' migration and regenerative persistence, most county conservation districts in the Puget Sound area don't typically stock coast redwoods due to their technically non-native status, but several area tree farms do sell them.

The Southworth Forest near the ferry terminal in Port Orchard, Washington has decided to dedicate some of its acreage to the planting of coast redwoods where English holly, dying alders, and invasive blackberries had existed over a sword fern base for the last two decades. The first fifteen redwoods are being planted in the northwest quadrant of the forest, and they were sourced from Scenic Hill Farm Nursery in Albany, Oregon. An additional one-hundred coast redwood trees are planned for installation in the next few years.

These coast redwoods will be clustered towards the western half of the forest, where lower elevations keep the soil moist due to adjacent seasonal wetlands. These areas are on the opposite side of the impactful 2019 Edwards deforestation of 11090 SE Southworth Drive that threatens the health of the southeastern side of the forest. In proximity to the increased heat and wind of that destruction, the coast redwoods' cousin, the giant sequoia, has been planted since 2020 because of the species' greater capability to handle adverse upland conditions.

Due to increased deer activity in the Southworth Forest since the Edwards deforestation, each young tree needs to be protected from nibbling and, more importantly, rutting by males inclined to strip and kill young trees with their antlers. In the case of the coast redwoods, this welded wire protection also serves to help the trees remain upright while young, replacing the bamboo sticks typically used for that purpose. Each of these redwoods will be watered every two weeks throughout the summers until they are eight to ten years old.

Anyone can order coast redwoods for safe shipping if it's not below freezing. In this case, the 2 to 3-foot tall trees were staked and packaged with gel at their base to retain moisture. Smaller plugs are available. (2024)

Depending on the size of the plugs you receive, you may have ample time throughout the late winter and early spring shipping window to plant your coast redwoods. They must remain moist, however. (2024)

Since deer are a major problem in the Southworth Forest, individual welded wire fences are anchored to a U-post around each tree. For the redwoods, this also helps them stay upright when young. (2024)