The Earth Fund Solutions

A $1 donation: 

• Restores 8.7 square feet of redwood forest* 

• Stores 149.5 lbs of carbon (over 150 years), the equivalent of taking 5 cars off the road for a day.

On average, every $17 puts one redwood tree on the path to becoming part of a healthy, old growth forest.

This is a strong impact per dollar, especially given that working in California is typically quite expensive (versus in emerging economies, where a dollar will typically go much further than in the US).  Redwoods are the most effective trees in the world at storing carbon. Working with redwood forests that have already had time to grow (e.g. forests that were planted decades ago but have been mismanaged and unhealthy) means that the League’s work can have a more instant effect than restoration work that focuses only on waiting for new trees to grow. 

* Note that this impact per dollar does NOT include the cost of acquiring the land; this is just for restoring land that the League has already acquired or is managing under conservation easement. In some cases, when the forest is very unhealthy, it’ll require multiple rounds of treatment – e.g. restoration thinning (to remove excessive overgrowth) and then a prescribed burn. $1 treats 8.7 square feet of forest, but it may sometimes need to be treated twice or three times before it is on a permanent path to old growth.

The League has a deeply experienced team, most of whom have spent their lives working in conservation.  Many staff have stayed with the organization for decades or more, meaning that the team has an impressive accumulated wisdom and stability. 

President and CEO Sam Hodder brings 30 years of conservation experience across the Pacific Northwest and the US Northeast.

The diversity of the team is increasing, and the League has indigenous representation within the team, its consultants, and its advisory team. 

Meet the team here.

Mission: “to protect and restore California redwoods and connect people to the peace and beauty of redwood forests”

Vision: “Save the Redwoods League envisions vibrant redwood forests of the scale and grandeur that once graced the California coast and the Sierra Nevada, protected forever, restored to grow old again, and connected to people through a network of magnificent parks and protected areas that inspire all of us with the beauty and power of nature.”

Values: You can see the League’s DEI commitment here.  The team’s internal values are: empowering, accountable, continuously improving, supportive, and inclusive.

Save the Redwoods League has a relatively simple model: protecting forests before they’re cut down is generally the most straightforward approach, and they do this wherever they can.  

Their approach is not excessively over-designed and they don’t use unnecessary technology; at the same time, the restoration work is relatively manual and they haven’t found any extraordinary or game-changing solutions that remove complexity. 

The League’s focus on working with redwoods limits the scalability of the solution, given that redwoods can exist in a relatively limited range in California (less than 2% of California’s total land area).  That said, the League’s solution has been scaled widely across that range; within this geography, no other organization has achieved the scale that Save the Redwoods has.

The League’s long-term dream is to scale this work across the entire coastal redwoods range, to restore the full 2 million acres of redwoods that California used to have.

The League’s overall strategy is to acquire land, restore it, and then hand it off to other organizations that will safeguard and maintain it in the long run (typically state/national parks or indigenous communities). 

Ultimately, once land is restored it should require minimal maintenance. The partners who manage the land (e.g. the Parks Service) are responsible for upkeep of any infrastructure (like trails or visitor centers).  

That said, the League’s work does not generate any ongoing income; funds need to be raised for every new project or piece of land protected.

It often takes around 10 years to complete the restoration activities and hand over the land to the partner that will manage it long-term.  

Once the restoration activities have been completed, very little ongoing work is needed, but the forest needs to grow and mature.  Because trees inherently take a much longer time to grow (versus e.g. grasslands), the impact happens at a slower scale (over hundreds of years); this is a challenge given how quickly we need to see results in order to effectively tackle the climate crisis.

Because healthier ecosystems take care of themselves and self-regulate, the League’s restoration work has really high-quality and lasting impact that grows over time and is self-sustaining.

We see relatively low risk of reversal, since the restoration work is intentionally creating more resilient forests. 

There is always a risk of wildfire, but the risk and severity should be greatly reduced by the League’s restoration strategy (thinning,  prescribed burns, and fuel breaks). Development and recreation (e.g. parks infrastructure such as trails and visitor centers) could also put pressure on fragile ecosystems and disturb the habitat of endangered species, but we don’t see this as a major risk given the careful studies and planning done.  

Another potential risk of reversal (long-term) could be posed by climate change: for instance, if the composition of forests that the League was creating now wouldn’t be resilient in a climate that was 1.5 or 2°C warmer.  The League has been actively researching and planning for this risk. Coast redwoods seem to be less vulnerable to the threats of climate change and instability, but giant sequoias struggle more, and for this reason the League is supporting research to understand giant sequoia genetics and resilience to warming. See more about their approach in light of climate change here. 

From a social and political perspective, as people want to live closer to forests, there is strong pressure to develop land. There is always a risk that under changing political landscapes, parks and other protected lands could lose their protection.

As a 501c3 organization, the League is extremely transparent in its finances. All financials can be viewed here, and you can see more in their "Accountability" page.  

Because land trusts sometimes need to move quickly to protect large tracts of land when they become available, land purchases cause wild fluctuations in revenue and expenses from year to year. For this reason, Charity Navigator no longer evaluates land trusts, but the League had received consistently high ratings until Charity Navigator made this change.

The League is very transparent about their operations and strategy, and does an excellent job of communicating about their work. 

You can see information about their governance here; the organization’s 100 year vision, strategies & objectives here; and how they achieve this (with links to example projects) here. 

That said, the team’s monitoring is not as transparent as it could be (e.g. there is no third-party verification of their impact, and much of the data from impact monitoring cannot be reported publicly).

We’ll get monthly photos from the restoration work, as well as updates about the work being done. 

Because the League’s restoration work season typically runs between April to November, there may be less to report on during the winter months.

Established in 1918, Save the Redwoods League is 104 years old. They’re basically a redwood themselves 😉

“Over the last century, the League has protected more than 224,000 acres (that’s 16x the size of Manhattan island!) of redwood forests and helped 66 redwood parks and reserves. We have pioneered innovative, science-based forest-restoration work. And, most importantly, we have touched the lives of millions of people by connecting them to these towering wonders of nature.” (Source)

Over their 104 year history, the League’s monitoring efforts have proven the effectiveness of this approach.  Their track record in creating new parks and protecting land speaks for itself! 

Prescribed burns, one of the key methods that the League uses, have been used successfully by indigenous peoples in the area for thousands of years.

The team has a really clear vision and long term plan; everything we see in their work matches their ethos of stability and driving long-lasting change – like a redwood! 🌲

We were impressed that the team’s performance reviews are designed around the league’s internal values.  We also see the organization working hard to deliver on their DEI commitments, especially through their strong partnerships with indigenous communities. (See “Wisdom” section for more.) 

The organization’s long-term and short-term goals are both clearly articulated: 

Long-term, audacious goals: 

• Ensure the remaining 1.6 million acres of coast redwood forest remains intact forest and isn’t lost or converted to development.

• Double the amount of acres of Coast Redwood forest protected in parks and preserves (from 380,000 to 800,000 acres) over the next 100 years.

• Restore degraded, previously logged forests on these lands to become the old growth forest of the future. 

  
  

Three-year goals:

• Secure the opportunity to purchase at least one large-scale industrial timberland redwood forest, 10,000 – 100,000 acres, and begin restoration.

• Restore and steward 4,000 acres of League-held and protected park lands to accelerate redwood forest health.

While there isn’t a cost attached to the League’s 100-year big goals, they do have clear short-term budgets for what they will need to stay on track towards the centennial goals.  Over the next 3 years, the League’s coast redwood restoration work will cost $10 million.

The League is extremely clear on what $1 accomplishes: it restores 8.7 square feet of forest, which will store 149.5 pounds of carbon over 150 years.

Quantifiable results include: 

• Number of acres protected

• Number of acres receiving restoration treatments

• Number of trees planted

• Number of acres transferred to public ownership, parks, and preserves

• Miles of old logging road removed

• Miles of waterways restored

• Number of jobs created in the restoration economy

• Number of endangered wildlife species returning to restored forestlands

As an LTA-accredited land trust, the League does extensive monitoring of the lands they hold (e.g. land that hasn’t yet been handed off to parks or under private ownership via conservation easements). This includes annual monitoring with staff members on the ground, and/or aerial imagery. They also conduct water quality monitoring, wildlife surveys, botany surveys, and monitoring via trail cameras.  However, these studies are not made available to donors, and we see an opportunity for more transparency in reporting these results to verify their impact. 

To better measure the climate impact of redwood forests, the League leads the Redwoods and Climate Change Initiative (RCCI), a collaborative research program to study impacts of climate change on redwood forests. By taking measurements at 20+ long-term forest monitoring plots located in old-growth forests across each range, they are greatly advancing our understanding and knowledge of the redwood forest, including its unique biodiversity and unparalleled carbon storage potential.

Read more about how the League monitors projects and measures success in their publications. 

Protecting forests before they are destroyed (either by human development or by wildfires) tackles California’s environmental degradation at the root of the problem.  Considering the value of old-growth forests in maintaining ecosystems and stabilizing our climate, this solution is about as root-cause-focused as a solution can get. 

Once land has burned in a catastrophic megafire, it is far more difficult to restore – it takes much longer to re-grow the trees and the intense heat of megafires can actually alter the soil's composition, making it less suitable for plant growth.

While the League will always need more investment to protect and restore new areas of land, the organization has strong partnerships in place to raise funding from a diversity of sources, including public grants, private fundraising, and generated biomass revenue (e.g. selling sustainably-harvested timber from thinning operations).  There are more creative ways to monetize restoration work and make it profitable, as a few other social enterprises in California have demonstrated, but the League has not made this a part of their strategy. 

Once land has been restored, it is self-sustaining and doesn’t require ongoing funding from the League; the cost of any ongoing maintenance (e.g. visitor centers, trail maintenance) is covered by the parks or entities that now own the land.

We believe that preserving and restoring forests will always be the best solution for protecting the redwoods. 

The League is generally open to engaging with new partners in the space, such as their work to forge new partnerships in the Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition. However, the League hasn’t necessarily shown a willingness to embrace new technologies or restoration techniques.

“Throughout all our work, we seek to build meaningful engagement and trust, and create resonant, welcoming forest experiences that honor the cultural diversity of California. 

On the restoration side, the re-introduction of Indigenous knowledge/values to the landscape, such as the use of cultural fire, is central.”

The League does a lot of work with indigenous partners throughout both the coast redwood and giant sequoia range. They’ve got strong partnerships with the Yurok tribe, the Kashia band of Pomo Indians, the Tule river tribe, the Sinkyone InterTribal Wilderness Council, and the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria. 

These partners are deeply involved in all aspects of their work, including evaluation properties to purchase, restoration activities, and in some cases, long-term management of the land. A recent example of this is the rematriation of Fish Run Place, which was transferred to the Sinkyone Council under a conservation easement. 

In the giant Sequoia range, the League works closely with CHIPS, an organization that hires indigenous fire crews to lead prescribed burns.

See more about their work with indigenous people here. 

Beyond this, the League goes out of their way to engage local communities as they set up new protected areas, holding listening sessions and community barbeques to ensure that local communities understand the work being done and have a voice. 

In an effort to engage some of the people that have historically been excluded from conservation work, the League also offers starter grants for BIPOC early-career researchers. 

DDC hasn’t identified any negative impact on indigenous populations; the League makes a strong effort to bring these communities in to help with decision-making and stewardship. 

In addition to the partnerships referenced in the previous question, the League also commonly runs archeological surveys in their forests and preserves, to help identify and uncover important sites of cultural significance to local tribes and indigenous people.

The League is outstanding at considering its impact 7 generations (and more) into the future.  Their organizational goals are framed in the 100-year Centennial Vision.  The restoration work they do sets up redwood forests to recover over centuries to become self-sustaining, healthy, resilient old-growth forests that support complex and thriving ecosystems, while sequestering massive amounts of carbon, in perpetuity.

The unintended negative consequences of this work are minimal, and we believe they are outweighed by the benefits of the solution.

Some small communities whose economies historically relied on timber harvesting have faced downturns when forests became protected and mills closed. The league’s work to restore forests makes a conscious effort to help build a “restoration economy” to include some logging jobs for local work crews as part of restoration thinning activities and also recreation economies by improving iconic parks and preserves to attract tourism.  The League also runs an apprenticeship program.  That said, there are still pressing socio-political needs in California (workforce development, affordable housing) that are inherently difficult to balance with land conservation initiatives, and so there is always a risk of unintended negative consequences for land conservation in California.

One trade-off during restoration thinning is the need to manage the “biomass” – the branches and trunks that are cut down. On flat ground, the League can pile up the wood and burn it, or grind it into small chips with a machine. But on steep slopes, they have to "lop and scatter", which means cutting off the branches and sawing the trunk into pieces on the ground, spreading it around. This actually increases the risk of fire until the wood decomposes naturally, which can take a few years depending on the site.

The League’s goals are audacious and long-term: 

• Ensure the remaining 1.6 million acres of coast redwood forest remains intact forest and isn’t lost or converted to development. 

• Double the amount of acres of coast redwood forest protected in parks and preserves (from 380,000 to 800,000 acres) over the next 100 years.

• Restore degraded, previously logged forests on these lands to become the old growth forest of the future.

Part of what makes this challenge so difficult to solve is the sheer scale at which unhealthy, fire-suppressed forests in California need to be restored.  Given the megafires that have swept through California in recent years, there is a huge amount of work to be done, very quickly, to protect the remaining intact forest before it’s too late. 

There are many other land-protection organizations in California that are doing great work. Save the Redwoods has one of the strongest track records of impact in this space, across the entire range of redwoods in California. 

On the other hand, from a carbon-capture perspective, the speed of change that we see in redwoods (carbon storage impact realized over 150 years) is inherently much slower than many of the other solutions out there, so when it comes to carbon capture the League’s ability to have rapid impact is limited compared to other climate solutions.

While the organization’s core work has stayed relatively the same over the last century, they have been exploring some new models over the past few decades, such as restoring land that’s protected under conservation easements with private owners (i.e. the land isn’t owned by parks or the League), and handing over land to indigenous communities for management. 

One example of The League’s innovation in the face of novel problems has been their response to the increasing prevalence of devastating wildfire, especially among giant sequoias. (Nearly 20% of the world’s giant sequoias have been lost in just the past two years; the rest of them are at risk if future wildfires aren’t prevented!)  In response, the League has helped form the new Giant Sequoia Lands Coalition, a creative partnership of government agencies, tribes, and nonprofits committed to protecting giant sequoia forests. What makes this really innovative is the systems change that the League is driving – by pulling together a diverse set of stakeholders that might otherwise not be cooperating, the League is able to use its birds-eye view of the problem (whereas many of the partners have a more local view, operating in only one area) to help drive change in the system of how we protect Giant Sequoias. 

In addition, the League also supports a variety of research, including projects to more accurately quantify the carbon stored in redwoods, to understand the trees’ resilience to climate change, and to sequence the coast redwood and giant sequoia genomes. 

Organizationally, we have not seen a lot of indicators that the organization is ready to embrace more innovative, risky work.  Many other new environmental solutions are coming out in California recently, and we see an opportunity for the League to embrace more of these going forward!  Given the speed and scale at which we must move to tackle the climate crisis, it feels like the League could be moving faster to experiment and implement new technology. 

We also see an opportunity for the League to further adapt to changing conditions – especially in their communications, impact tracking, and transparency.  Incorporating new technologies, and evolving how they engage donors, could further help them adapt so that the organization survives and thrives in future generations.

Preserving redwoods is essential for stabilizing California’s habitat and preserving ecosystem function.  They’re also essential for fighting climate change: old-growth coast redwood forests and giant sequoias store more carbon per acre than any other above-ground forest type on the planet. Given the urgency of the climate crisis, preserving redwoods now – before they are burned or destroyed – is essential. 

But California has been hit by a series of exceptionally devastating wildfires in the past few years, due to a century of unnatural, human-caused fire suppression coupled with hotter droughts driven by climate change. Nearly 20% of the world’s entire giant sequoia population has been lost in the past two years alone!  If we don’t act now, the future of these great forests is at risk.