Written by Dinah Sandoval and GIS maps and illustrations by Alex Novoa.
Imagine opening an interactive map and watching it populate with individual trees, to a grove and as the years go by, into a mighty forest.
You can also explore the places where restoration is happening, learn about the people and organizations making this effort possible, and see how individual actions become part of a larger movement to restore redwood ecosystems.
Over time, this map becomes more than a collection of locations and data points. It becomes a living story of restoration: the partnerships formed, the communities engaged, the landscapes protected, and the trees growing stronger year after year.
This is the vision behind the Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping efforts of the 10,000 Redwoods (10kRW) Program, a program of Turtle Island Restoration Network (TIRN). Through interactive maps, images, and data, we aim to transform information into an engaging learning experience that helps people build a deeper connection to place and understand the impact of restoration over time.
Our mapping approach serves three purposes:
- Creating an interactive learning experience that allows people to explore restoration efforts and develop a deeper connection to the landscapes we are working to protect.
- Establishing a baseline through Geographic Information System (GIS) maps that document current conditions and help illustrate changes over time.
- Tracking program progress by visualizing tree plantings, partnerships, restoration sites, and other key data points.
While storytelling for the 10,000 Redwoods Program extends beyond GIS, we are using four core maps to help tell this evolving story:
- Historical Redwood Planting Sites
- Partnership Development Map
- Seed Collection Sites
- Land Protection Map (TIRN properties)
Identifying Restoration Opportunities
The map below highlights a portion of the 30 acres of land stewarded and protected by TIRN. It includes two parcels: Parcel A, a residential area with two existing redwoods and additional space for future planting, and Parcel B, an area currently covered by trees and brush.
Parcel A’s proximity to San Geronimo Creek, a tributary within the Lagunitas Creek watershed, creates an opportunity to advance both redwood restoration and watershed health. The site’s consistent moisture availability, protection from strong winds due to the surrounding hills, and frequent summer fog create favorable conditions for coast redwood establishment and long-term growth.
Planting redwoods near San Geronimo Creek also advances another major focus of Turtle Island Restoration Network’s work: protecting and restoring habitat for Coho salmon. Healthy riparian forests play an essential role in watershed function by stabilizing streambanks, reducing erosion, improving water quality, and creating conditions that support resilient aquatic ecosystems.
Through their extensive root systems, redwoods help slow and absorb rainfall, allowing water to gradually move through forest soils and into surrounding ecosystems. Over time, these functions contribute to healthier watersheds and improved habitat conditions for native species, including Coho salmon.
The GIS map helps us identify restoration opportunities by showing not only where redwoods currently exist, but where additional trees can be planted. Parcel A demonstrates the potential for expanding redwood habitat, as shown in the images below.
The image above pinpoints where five additional trees can be planted separated by 20 feet.
Mitigating the Impacts of Climate Change Through Redwood Restoration
Coast redwoods are extraordinary carbon sinks, capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere through photosynthesis and storing it within their trunks, branches, roots, and surrounding soils. Their immense size, longevity, and ability to accumulate biomass allow them to store carbon for generations, making them one of nature’s most powerful tools for addressing climate change.
Potter, Christopher. (2012). Net primary production and carbon cycling in coast redwood forests of central California. Open Journal of Ecology. 02. 147-153. 10.4236/oje.2012.23018.
However, the value of redwoods extends far beyond carbon storage. When we plant and protect redwoods, we participate in a relationship of reciprocity—restoring forests that provide cleaner air, healthier watersheds, habitat for wildlife, and resilience for future generations.
In return for the many benefits ecosystems provide us, restoration offers an opportunity to give back by helping these forests thrive for centuries to come.
Measuring Our Impact Over Time
Through GIS mapping and additional data collection, our goal is to measure the impact of the 10,000 Redwoods Program over time. This includes estimating the carbon currently captured by redwoods protected on TIRN properties, as well as tracking the additional carbon storage and ecological benefits created as new trees are planted.
As the program grows, these maps will allow us to visualize restoration in action—from the first seed collected to the planting of thousands of redwoods across the landscape.
If you want to hear more about the 10,000 Redwoods Program, please reach out to Dinah Sandoval at dssandoval@tirn.net.
To support this work, you can donate directly through: https://seaturtles.org/campaigns/plant-10000-redwoods/
