The Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve will soon add a 730-acre public park of old growth forest to California's protected ancient tree inventory.
A Bay Area environmental group, Save the Redwoods, just purchased the land located on the Sonoma Coast in what is being hailed as one of the largest deals to protect the old-growth redwood trees in California, The Mercury News reported.
Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County has been one of Northern California’s main tourist attractions, with towering old-growth redwood trees that draw more than 1 million visitors a year
However, the new public park west of Santa Rosa is larger and contains trees that are taller, with some reaching 300 feet, as well as older, with many dating hundreds and even thousands of years.
The land is named after a 96-year-old logger who inherited the property from his grandfather but refused to cut down the ancient trees, The Press Democrat reported.
When Richardson died in 2016, he left the land to his family, who chose to protect the trees and enlisted the help of the Save the Redwoods League to help preserve the land.
The organization managed to raise $18.1 million to purchase the land with intentions of opening the public park to hikers in the near future, The Mercury News noted.
The deal will allocate $9.6 million to the Richardson family and will also transfer them a nearby 870-acre section owned by the league.
"We are grateful for the Richardson family’s foresight in stewarding this forest with such care and allowing us the opportunity to save it," said Sam Hodder, CEO of Save the Redwoods League.
"Harold Richardson Redwoods Reserve, named to honor the legacy of the family’s patriarch, will be the newest gem on California’s crown of redwood parks, providing inspiration, recreation, and clean air and water."
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