Ancient Forest Society

Wrapping Up Our 2025 Field Season

Our 2025 field season is officially wrapped, and we’re proud to share some of our accomplishments. Over the course of the season, our team made exciting progress across all of our core programs: research, preservation, and outreach and education. 

We completed the final spring and fall sampling periods for our CAL FIRE–funded bark beetle study, concluding two years of field work for this study. With all samples now in the lab, we’re diving into data analysis and looking forward to sharing results. We also completed the bulk of the field work for our tree fire damage project, gathering multiple scans on each of 19 trees using sonic and electrical resistance tomography, while refining new methods to better understand how fire affects water transport in giant sequoias. On top of that, we kicked off a brand-new bark beetle monitoring project, mapping giant sequoia tree die-back across their range, and climbing and sampling 14 declining trees that show signs of beetle attack.

In our seed collection program, we gathered a total of 288 bushels of cones from giant sequoia, sugar pine, and whitebark pine—a critical contribution to genetic testing and seed banking efforts for the purpose of forest restoration.

Then there are our incredible volunteers: 54 people joined us in the field, contributing a collective total of 329 volunteer days. They came from 12 states and 6 countries, and their enthusiasm, patience, and hard work made every single day in the field better. Whether they were hauling gear, climbing trees, cooking and helping with dishes in camp, or just bringing good energy to the crew, we couldn’t have made the progress that we did this season without them.

We’ll be sharing much more in our upcoming 2025 Annual Report, but we’re especially excited to spotlight two big stories:

• Our first-ever whitebark pine cone collections in the Lake Tahoe Basin—in partnership with the US Forest Service and Heavenly Mountain Resort—will help identify trees with blister rust resistance for future restoration work.
• Thanks to a partnership with the Sierra Nevada Alliance, we brought on Sierra Corps fellow Lea Braen, who’s been climbing trees showing signs of bark beetle attack to observe early symptoms of tree mortality.

Stay tuned for more from the canopy in the coming months—and thank you for making this a truly unforgettable season.

Board Members Join Us in the Field

Two of our board members joined us in the field this season. In late September, Dan Dorosin joined the team in Mariposa Grove. He saw firsthand the amazing giant sequoias we have been researching there since 2020 and spent time talking with dedicated Ancient Forest Society (AFS) volunteers from around the world, including three volunteers from Puerto Rico. He also helped forestry fellow Lea Braen make critical fire damage measurements. The only brave soul wearing shorts on a very cold day while tromping through white thorn bushes, Dan brought his love of trees and the outdoors to help the AFS team.

Scott Baker, an arborist with decades of experience, joined us for two back-to-back field trips in October and provided all manner of support for the team. Overseeing safety, washing dishes, cooking food, climbing study trees, and talking with excited tourists, Scott wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty and pitch in in any way he could. His positive attitude and willingness to do anything helped the team make it through our last two field trips of our bark beetle study. We love seeing the dedication of our board members in action. Thanks Dan and Scott!

Holiday Cheer

The holidays are fast approaching and now is a great time to gather thoughtful gift ideas for your friends and family. Making a donation to Ancient Forest Society, becoming a member or purchasing some of our merchandise are all great ways for you and your loved ones to be part of something bigger than yourselves. We can’t protect ancient trees and forests without your support. Please visit our website to learn more about ways to give.