Redwood NP Gains 26,000 Acres

A vision for the future has added 26,000 acres to Redwood National Park.
The land, once heavily logged and crisscrossed with logging roads, was added when President Bush recently signed into law legislation written by Senator Dianne Feinstein of California. The bulk of the acquisition consists of 25,000 acres once owned by Stimson Lumber of Portland, Oregon.
Normally you don’t see a logged landscape within a national park, but this addition brings to Redwood some good bald eagle and black bear habitat as well as good salmon streams. Proponents behind the addition say they’re looking far down the road to when the land has healed itself.
``It is true it has been logged. It is second-growth,'' Ruth Coleman, California's state parks director, told the San Jose Mercury News. ``But with careful management, we can grow it back so it will look like an old-growth forest. It may not be in our lifetime, but people should remember we purchase these parks for future generations as well.''
The land was acquired by the Save-the-Redwoods League back in 2002 for $60 million and has been managed by the California Parks Department since then. Under a unique agreement, the department will continue managing the land.

(NPS Photo)