Like the closely related red alder, white alder is a species that grows along the riparian corridor and shares many of its adaptations to streamside conditions. [Photo: 1a, 1b]     In general it occurs more inland from the coast and in more upland areas than the red alder whose occurrence tapers off farther east in the watershed. According to …

Tongass is the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest, with trees more than 1,000 years old. But a pro-logging effort could uproot them by Brendan Jones in Sitka, Alaska Published by The Guardian, March 22, 2018   [Excerpt:] At south-east Alaska’s last industrial-scale sawmill, wheel loaders stack debarked logs two storeys high on the frozen ground. A bumper sticker on a …

Here are some events sponsored by the California Native Plant Society’s Dorothy King Young Chapter, which are focused on the wealth of local native plants, taking place in the Gualala River watershed during California Native Plant Week (April 15-22, 2018). Wednesday, April 18 at 1 pm Riparian walk (river bed and banks) on the Gualala River Wheatfield Fork near Haupt …

California Bay Laurel, Bay, Pepperwood, Oregon Myrtle, California Olive, Spice Tree, Headache Tree (Umbellularia californica) Family LAURACEAE February is an excellent time to see flowering California Bay Laurel, though it can bloom as early as November and well on into spring. One of the more commonly occurring trees throughout the Gualala River watershed [Photo 1.], this evergreen hardwood species has …

genus  Sequoia, family Cupressaceae (cypress) An Unparalleled Species The most iconic tree species in our region is the Coast Redwood. [Photo 1.] Its presence in the Gualala River watershed is deeply historic, it is a species central to the ecology and economy here, and it is perhaps the most remarkable tree species on earth. Redwoods are the tallest beings on …

INTRODUCTION TO A NEW FEATURE: NATIVE TREES OF THE GUALALA RIVER WATERSHED January, 2018 Trees are the predominant terrestrial feature of the Gualala River watershed. They account for the largest biomass in the watershed and cover a third of its nearly 300 square miles. How we think about them–their beauty, their importance to the natural systems of the planet, and …

Love Locally! Please consider a year-end donation to Friends of Gualala River Your year-end support of Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) on local issues will make your dollars go the farthest and have a direct benefit for your local community. In this brief end-of-the-year outreach for your support, FoGR thanks you for what you have done this past year to …

Attention: Forest Practice California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection 135 Ridgeway Ave, Santa Rosa, California 95401 santarosapubliccomments@calfire.ca.gov Subject: THP 1-15-042 SON – “Dogwood,” Reopened Public Comment Period Date: November 26, 2017 Friends of the Gualala River (FoGR) is a non-profit, grassroots watershed protection association formed to share common concerns and research regarding the welfare of the Gualala River, its …

Comment letters on the “Dogwood” floodplain logging plan (THP 1-15-042-SON), submitted on behalf of Friends of Gualala River by subject matter experts: Download: Letter by Tom Gaman, CA Registered Professional Forester and ARB Forest Carbon Verifier; Letter by Greg Kamman, CA Registered Geologist & Certified Hydrogeologist; Letter by Stacy Li, Ph.D., professional aquatic biologist. Our sincere thanks to these experts …

November 26, 2017 SUBJECT: THP 1-15-042 SON (Gualala Redwoods Timber LLC “Dogwood” THP, reopened public comment) CAL FIRE Forest Practice Program: Attached are my comment letters on the original and recirculated THP versions for the “Dogwood” Timber Harvest Plan 1-15-042, from 2015-2016. I am resubmitting these comments for the resubmitted THP of the same file number, which is substantially the …

November 2005 written by California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (now CAL FIRE) Click on the title page below to download the full document in pdf format: Flood Prone Area Considerations in the Coast Redwood Zone, by CDF (2005)   Original source: http://cal-fire.ca.gov/resource_mgt/downloads/RiparianProtComWhitePaperfinal.pdf

We are sorry to report that Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT), has decided to resubmit the Timber Harvest Plan called “Dogwood,” located in the floodplain of the Gualala River — the one we have been protesting and fighting for two years. We knew that winning in court didn’t save the Gualala River floodplain. The judge, in essence, told GRT they had …

How a Northern California community halted a plan to log old coast redwood trees in the Gualala River floodplain by Jeanne Jackson Published in Wild Hope magazine Fall, 2017 re-printed with permission The Gualala River empties into the Pacific Ocean at the border between Sonoma and Mendocino counties on the northern California coast. It is a wild river with no …

We are very sorry to report that Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT), owned by the Burch family, has decided to resubmit the Timber Harvest Plan called “Dogwood,” the one we have been protesting and fighting for two years. We knew that winning in court didn’t save the Gualala River floodplain. The judge, in essence, told GRT they had to take into …

Friends of Gualala River Forest Unlimited California Native Plant Society MEDIA RELEASE Date: September 26, 2017 The lawsuit to stop logging the Gualala River floodplain redwood forest tract in the “Dogwood” timber harvest plan (THP) is over. CAL FIRE was ordered by Sonoma County Superior Court to vacate (revoke) the Gualala Redwood Timber Company timber harvest plan on April 18, …

Thursday, September 14, 2017 6:30 to 8:00 p.m Gualala Arts Center 46501 Old State Highway Join us for a FREE community presentation by Chris Kelly on The Conservation Fund’s 14,000 acre Gualala River Forest and 21,000 acre Buckeye Forest (formerly “Preservation Ranch”). Discussion Topics Include: Public Access Carbon Credits and California’s Cap-and-Trade Program Sustainable Forestry vs. Conventional Forestry Chris Kelly, …

← Previous: Gualala River in May Next: Gualala River in July (coming soon)→                         All photos used with permission. Our sincere thanks to all of the photographers for sharing their photos with us!

← Previous: Gualala River in April Next: Gualala River in June →                         All photos used with permission. Our sincere thanks to all of the photographers for sharing their photos with us!

← Previous: Gualala River in Winter Next: Gualala River in May → Springtime brings new life in and around the Gualala River by Jeanne A. Jackson After the winter rains, the Gualala River usually is closed off from the Pacific Ocean by a big sandbar. When the river closes, the water backs up into the lagoon and upriver, bringing perfect …

Friends of Gualala River Forest Unlimited California Native Plant Society MEDIA RELEASE Date: June 29, 2017 After halting logging in the environmentally sensitive mature floodplain redwood forest of the lower Gualala River, Judge René Chouteau of Sonoma County Superior Court awarded $162,000 in attorney’s fees to the successful parties in environmental litigation over CAL FIRE’s approval of the Dogwood Timber …