{"id":134726,"date":"2025-03-16T17:40:49","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T00:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.savetheredwoods.org\/?p=134726"},"modified":"2025-03-16T17:59:01","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T00:59:01","slug":"post-fire-big-basin-offers-visitors-a-forest-of-hope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.savetheredwoods.org\/blog\/post-fire-big-basin-offers-visitors-a-forest-of-hope\/","title":{"rendered":"Post-fire Big Basin offers visitors a “forest of hope”"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Epicormic sprouting gives recovering redwoods a distinct “bottle brush” appearance. Photo by Iamblukas<\/a>, FCC.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly five years have passed since the CZU Lightning Complex fires devastated Big Basin Redwoods State Park<\/a>, but many people are still keeping their distance from the park. \u201cA lot of locals are hesitant to come here,\u201d says Debra Martwick, senior visitor services aide at Big Basin. \u201cThey think it\u2019s going to be too sad or that it\u2019s going to be a moonscape.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that during the wildfires\u2019 37-day rampage, flames ripped through 97% of the park\u2019s 18,000 acres, destroying the forest\u2019s lush canopy. However, what Martwick experiences at the park these days is far from tragic\u2014it\u2019s hopeful. While some of Big Basin remains closed, many trails have reopened and visitors will find a landscape flush with new growth. \u201cThere is something so inspiring about seeing a forest that was ravaged by fire spring back with such stunning beauty,\u201d she says. \u201cI call it a \u2018forest of hope.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

“It shows you the resilience of nature, which we\u2019re all part of. Sometimes we go through horrible things, but we can recover.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Martwick first fell in love with Big Basin during a six-month stint at the park in 2017. What she found there was different from anything else she\u2019d encountered. She followed soft dirt paths to incredible sights, like 20-foot Sempervirens Falls. Along the trails, giant old-growth redwoods offered shade and dampened noise from the outside world. Bright green moss clung to the tree trunks, clovers carpeted the ground, and crystalline creeks flowed into the Pacific Ocean. \u201cThere\u2019s something about Big Basin,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s just special.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Work took Martwick elsewhere in the intervening years, but she missed her beloved park. After Big Basin partially reopened to the public in 2021, she jumped at an opportunity to return. \u201cIt\u2019s a whole different experience since the fire,\u201d she says. But to Martwick, different doesn\u2019t mean bad. It\u2019s an exciting chance to witness the forest’s renewal.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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New shoots emerge from a surviving coast redwood tree at Big Basin. Photo by Pierre Jean C, Adobe Stock.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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A blooming trillium flower embodies the resilience of nature. Flicker photo by lamblukas<\/a>.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Redwoods lead the park\u2019s revival<\/span><\/span><\/h3>\n

Already, verdant ferns, shrubs, and foot-tall Douglas-fir have pushed their way through the soil at Big Basin. Birds were among the first animals to rebuild their homes, and visitors can now hear the welcome calls of<\/span> dark-eyed juncos, Steller\u2019s jays, and endangered marbled murrelets. Black-tailed deer, gray foxes, bobcats, and other four-legged creatures also roam the forest once more, and banana slugs<\/span> slime their way across trails.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Most impressive, however, are the coast redwoods. Not only did 97% of these trees survive the fire\u2014incredible, especially when compared to the decimation of the park\u2019s Douglas-fir\u2013\u2013but they are growing back at a phenomenal rate. Saplings have sprouted in a circle from the roots of their elders (in what are endearingly called \u201cfairy rings<\/a>\u201d) and some of these redwood trees now soar to 20 feet or higher. \u201cThey already tower above me,\u201d says Martwick.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Redwood canopy regrowth at Big Basin three years after the CZU fires shows how redwoods resprout from buds that have lain dormant for centuries. PhenoCam Network, Phenocam.nau.edu<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a <\/span>study funded by the League<\/span><\/a>, scientists discovered another remarkable adaptation. After collecting samples from ancient redwoods that had been engulfed in the flames, they found that the trees were resprouting from buds that had lain dormant for centuries. \u201cThey\u2019re such an example of survival,\u201d Martwick says. \u201cBut then again, they\u2019ve been on this planet for millions of years. They\u2019ve had a lot of time to get it down.\u201d <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To help ensure the park stays on its valiant road to recovery, the League has collaborated with California State Parks and a broad coalition of partners to develop a comprehensive <\/span>Forest Management Strategy<\/span><\/a> that balances ecological restoration with visitor safety. The plan includes thinning unnaturally dense stands, promoting the growth of larger trees, and using controlled burns to mimic the natural fire patterns that were suppressed in California for well over a century.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Opportunity to explore uncrowded trails<\/h3>\n

While life has returned to the park, the large crowds have not. Prior to the fire, 1 million people visited annually. Today, around 3,000 to 9,000 visit each month, according to the <\/span>Los Angeles Times<\/span><\/a><\/em>. Those who do venture into the park have a unique opportunity to wander through recovering old-growth groves on blissfully unpopulated trails.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Martwick suggests stopping by the park visitor center or chatting with kiosk staff to find the hike best suited to your level and interests. The Redwood Loop is a 0.6-mile, ADA-compliant route that passes the tallest tree in the park, the <\/span>Mother of the Forest<\/span><\/a>, which is charred but still living. The<\/span> Meteor Trail, which runs through redwood stands along Rogers Creek, is one of Martwick\u2019s favorites. \u201cBut to be honest, they\u2019re all beautiful,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

It’s worth noting that Rancho del Oso<\/span><\/a>, <\/em><\/span>the park\u2019s coastal section, was unaffected by the fire and currently offers views of its beachside marsh and the ocean via the Hoover Trail. Five walk-in campsites and a first-come, first-served bike site are also available. <\/span><\/p>\n

Martwick wishes more people would hit the trails to witness the forest\u2019s renewal firsthand. \u201cPeople expect bleakness, but it is the opposite. It gives you hope for the future,\u201d she says. \u201cSometimes life throws you a curve, but if you can survive it, you can bounce back\u2014maybe with a few scars and a little char.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The new Rancho del Oso Welcome Center, on the coastal side of Big Basin, offers views of the marsh and ocean. Photo by Jennifer Charney.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Know before you go<\/h3>\n