|
Throughout the year, our team made progress on five active research projects, including the completion of fieldwork for our most volunteer-intensive study to date. With the support of more than 50 volunteers, a handful of dedicated contractors, and our wonderful academic partners, we collected and analyzed thousands of samples. Thanks to a very special volunteer, we also recorded some of the first-ever tomographic images of the largest trees on the planet. The research work we completed in the field and in the lab continues to reveal new secrets about the ancient giants we study. This year also marked an expansion of our seed collection program. Alongside ongoing work with giant sequoias and sugar pines, we expanded our cone collections to include whitebark pine, a high-elevation species of growing conservation concern. From helicopter-supported backcountry trips to front country collecting, we came away with hundreds of pounds of clean seed that will be tested for disease and/or grown into seedlings for future replanting.
|
