Legendary Trees Nearly Disappear
A group called Save-the-Redwoods really started it all. In 1918, this preservation group was founded and initiated the purchasing of huge areas of redwood land because these trees were quickly vanishing.
Saving an Ecosystem
The redwood trees had been logged from the start of the 1850s and in only 60 years more than two million acres of redwoods were diminished to a few hundred thousand acres.
Protection from Logging
California stepped in during the next few decades and by 1960 more than 100,000 acres of redwood forest were set aside for state parks, but logging continued outside this area.
National Park Created
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a bill in 1968 that created Redwood National Park after much petitioning from the Sierra Club, the National Geographic Society and the Save-the-Redwoods League.
Expansion
In 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed for the expansion of Redwood National Park to 108,000 acres from 58,000 acres. It was realized that logging was still having an impact on the park's ecosystems and a larger area was in need of protection.
Article Written By Naomi Judd
Naomi M. Judd is a naturalist, artist and writer. Her work has been published in various literary journals, newspapers and websites. Judd holds a self-designed Bachelor of Arts in adventure writing from Plymouth State University and is earning a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from the University of Southern Maine.
