Ancient Forest Society 2025

Celebrating National Trails Day

by Erin Burk

National Trails Day, observed annually on the first Saturday of June, is a nationwide event that celebrates America's vast network of trails and the countless enthusiasts who cherish them. This year it falls on June 7th. Established in 1993 by the American Hiking Society, this day brings together hikers, bikers, paddlers, and outdoor advocates to participate in activities ranging from trail clean-ups to educational workshops. Read more about the history of National Trails Day here.

While we won’t be hosting events on National Trails Day itself, Ancient Forest Society invites you to join us later in the year to watch as we climb high into the canopies of the world’s largest trees for our ongoing bark beetle study. These climbs provide a unique window into the health of giant sequoias and offer an opportunity to witness cutting-edge science in action.

• Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park: June 10–12 and October 15–17

• North Grove, Calaveras Big Trees State Park: September 23–26

• Mariposa Grove, Yosemite National Park: September 28–October 1

Our work in the sequoias is part of a two-year study examining the impact of bark beetles on these iconic trees. During these trips, our team will climb the sequoias to conduct detailed surveys and collect samples, seeking to understand how fire, drought, and bark beetles interact to threaten these ancient giants. It’s a fascinating blend of adventure and science that highlights the importance of preserving the ecosystems our wonderful trails connect us to.

These events offer a unique opportunity to see our team in action, learn about the importance of ecosystem conservation, and understand how our work contributes to the health of giant sequoia forests. When you join us, be sure to take a closer look at the trails that allow you to access these incredible spaces and thank the Park’s trails crew if you get the opportunity.

We encourage you to participate in National Trails Day by exploring local trails, joining community trail-building events, or simply taking a moment to appreciate the pathways that connect us to nature. Your involvement helps ensure that these trails remain accessible and preserved for future generations.

For more information on our upcoming projects or to get involved, please visit our website or contact us directly. Together, we can make a lasting impact on the trails and the natural wonders they lead us to.

Community Update

by Erin Burk

In late April, I had the privilege of presenting to students working toward their Associate’s degree in Forestry at the Lake Tahoe Community College in South Lake Tahoe. Professors of the class included Maria Mircheva (Executive Director of the Sugar Pine Foundation) and Robert Guebard (Forestry Contract Officer at the US Forest Service). I was asked to speak first about my career path, then later about our mission and current projects here at Ancient Forest Society.

During the first segment of the talk, the students had a surprising number of questions for me about going to graduate school and my experience with past Forestry jobs. During the second segment, they had even more questions about our research in the giant sequoias and the day-to-day life of camping and climbing the largest trees in the world. I was pleasantly surprised by the students’ curiosity and enthusiasm about all things tree-related. We are excited to continue engaging with forest stewards of the future!

Field Update

by Wendy Baxter

Ancient Forest Society and our dedicated volunteers have been going strong in the field! We continued making great progress on our research across the Sierra Nevada investigating the impacts of fire, drought and bark beetles on giant sequoia health. In May, our team visited Calaveras Big Trees State Park and Yosemite National Park to collect samples and make measurements on our study trees.

Two of the trips were part of our CAL FIRE Forest Health Research Program-funded study Examining Bark Beetle Attack in Giant Sequoia. This project is a collaboration with scientists from the Davis Lab at Colorado State University. We sampled 18 giant sequoia study trees per site. Each tree needed to be climbed twice, once during the day and once in the early morning before the sun came up. Collectively, that required climbing thousands of feet to conduct this critical research. Our amazing volunteers made this work possible!

We also spent several days working closely with Lothar Göcke, a German pioneer and developer of sonic and electrical resistance tomography. We are using these technologies to create detailed images of the internal trunk structure of some of our giant sequoia study trees to gain insight into how much fire damage they sustained. However, as you can imagine, scanning such large trees presents some technical challenges! Our time with Lothar was critical to overcome some of these technical hurdles. With these groundbreaking measurements we want to understand how fire damage increases the risk of drought and pest attacks in giant sequoias and ultimately provide land managers with a useful tool for informing their management decisions.

Ancient Forest Society’s very own Kimberly Wright joined the team in Calaveras to share what we are learning with park visitors. The North Grove is a well-loved grove that is regularly visited by students, locals and tourists alike. Spring is a special time, with ephemeral streams meandering around the bases of ancient giant sequoias and delicate understory plants in bloom. As visitors enjoyed the grove, Kimberly directed their gazes to the treetops to catch a glimpse of our climbers collecting samples. There is nothing quite like seeing a person dwarfted by a giant sequoia crown, immersed in tree-sized branches, to remind us of our transient existences.

We aren’t even close to being done yet with our field season. We’ll keep sharing updates and maybe we’ll even see you out in the forest!

Become a Member of Ancient Forest Society!

Ancient Forest Society is dedicated to research, outreach, and conservation of ancient trees and forests. As we prepare for another busy field season of inspecting trees for bark beetle activity, collecting seeds, conducting research, and installing and maintaining sensors in our study trees, we need your support.

Becoming a member of Ancient Forest Society is an opportunity to help us continue this important work by funding aspects of our programming that are not yet funded including our outreach and education efforts and volunteer support. As a Society member, you will support our invaluable volunteers, enable us to share the critical work we are doing with a wider audience and you will get discounts on our events and merchandise. .

Ancient Forest Society is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and your tax-deductible donation will directly support our mission to study and protect ancient forests.