Our Library sits in a redwood grove so we had hoped to literally use our backyard to examine climate change at the local when we selected redwoods for our monthly theme this month. As beautiful as the trees that surround our building are, they are little babies reaching only over a hundred or so feet into the sky. But over the river and through the woods just one big hill away from our Library in the valley below is grandmother’s house, the Muir Woods National Monument. Muir Woods is home to some of the only old growth redwoods that remain in the Bay Area, trees that live over 2,000 years and ascend over three hundred feet into the sky.
Before the pandemic broke, our Library was very excited to host NPS Park Ranger Giessell Aguilar to present on all of the wonders of redwoods, some Bay Area deforestation history and how redwoods combat climate change as the tallest sequesters of carbon. We still have high hopes of hosting the event down the road but until then, we were happy to have the opportunity to speak with Aguilar about her personal experiences witnessing the effects of climate change, the science of sempervirens and all of the restoration work Muir Woods National Monument is currently working on with the Redwood Renewal Project.
*Please note Giessell misspoke a single word and intended to credit Save the Redwoods League.