Big Basin Redwoods State Park is getting more than $540,000 to help it recover from a wildfire that tore through the park’s ancient redwood forest last summer, thanks to donations from two long-standing nonprofits.
Sempervirens Fund and Save the Redwoods League, which have supported the park since its foundation in 1902, are contributing the money to begin a years-long rebuilding effort at California’s oldest state park.
The first installment, about $200,000, was distributed Wednesday to help remove fallen or damaged trees that could present a hazard to other parts of the charred forest in the upcoming winter storms, according to a news release. The first round of work will affect less than 1% of the park’s trees.
“This initial funding will allow us to access the backcountry, inventory damages, continue hazard mitigation and take the first steps toward recovery,” Chris Spohrer, Santa Cruz district superintendent for California State Parks, said in a statement.
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