
Arborist David Milarch, along with his organization Archangel Ancient Tree Archive, is creating living libraries of old-growth tree genetics. He is on a quest to save California’s coastal redwoods, and save the planet while he’s at it. Redwoods grow at a rate of 10 feet per year, putting them among the fastest-growing species of tree on Earth. Plants pull carbon from our atmosphere, so because the average redwood tree weighs in at roughly 1,000 tons, Milarch had the idea of preserving the trees’ genetics and planting them around the world.
“Luckily, it’s very hard to kill a redwood no matter how hard you try. When the trees lives are threatened, chopped down for example, they shoot sprouts out of their stumps. The exact genetic fingerprint of the tree can be found in those sprouts.”
– David Milarch
Ten years ago, the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive began collecting basal sprouts from groves of felled redwoods. They then bring the sprouts back to Michigan to propagate them, after which they are replanted in southern Oregon. The process is known as assisted migration, and the replanting sites are chosen for their proximity to the trees’ original locations.
You can learn more about the Archangel Ancient Tree Archive on their website and on Instagram and Facebook.
March 15, 2021 at 7:22 am
Great story. Hope everybody watches the videos. Happy that I have been in one of those redwood forests. Hal
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March 15, 2021 at 8:48 am
I have never been, but I would really love to see them in person!
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March 15, 2021 at 11:33 am
Should be in y9our top ten. Hal
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March 15, 2021 at 7:29 am
This is wonderful, definately worthy of a contribution…thanks for this refreshingly positive post!
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March 15, 2021 at 8:49 am
Thank you! I thought what they were doing was so inspiring!
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March 15, 2021 at 8:41 am
Bless his hear and his efforts .
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March 15, 2021 at 8:49 am
And his good idea!
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March 15, 2021 at 9:39 am
Fascinating
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March 16, 2021 at 7:44 am
Amazing work, I shared it as well.
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March 16, 2021 at 8:54 am
I love what they’re doing. There might be hope for us yet!
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