Redwoods or Red Wine: Which is More Valuable in California?

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When do trees become a forest? According to a California winemaker who wants to clear cut 154 acres of redwoods and Douglas firs to make way for grapevines, not until they’re more than 50-years-old and 100 feet tall . . .

The winery claims that because the area was clear-cut more than 50 years ago, and most of the redwoods on the site are less than 100 feet tall, it’s not a forest and shouldn’t have the same protections as old-growth forests.

According to Chris Poehlmann, president of a small organization called Friends of the Gualala River, age is no excuse for decimating thousands of trees on the property. ‘[T]he trees provide wildlife habitat and stabilize the soil against erosion, which has been a major problem for streams in the area that once harbored runs of salmon and steelhead trout,’ Poehlmann told NPR.

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Artesa Sonoma forest-to-vineyard conversion
CAL FIRE has approved the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Artesa Winery’s controversial plan to clear-cut 154 acres of coastal redwood forest to plant a vineyard in Annapolis. The EIR claims that the project will have no significant environmental or cultural impacts.