A 394-acre tract of land along the Russian River that is home to a rare old-growth coast redwood will forever be protected from development, in a victory for century-long efforts to conserve the endangered giants.
On Thursday, Sonoma County Agricultural Conservation and Open Space announced that the Russian River County Sanitation District board of directors had approved a $6.18 million purchase of the tract from the Save the Redwoods League, which bought the parcel in 2023. A conservation easement and recreation covenant will formally protect the land.
“This is really significant,” said Jeff Stump, the league’s director of land conservation, adding that the organization has taken measures to improve security and fire protection. It’s now a healthier forest than it was when the nonprofit took possession last year, he said. “The league has 106 years of history, so we’ve done some outstanding projects — but they don’t make this kind of property anymore.”
The tract, near the resort town of Guerneville on the river’s south bank, between Neeley and Mays Canyon roads, contains a remarkable specimen known as the Clar Tree. One of the most famous redwoods in Sonoma County, it reaches 278 feet and has a trunk 16 feet in circumference. It’s an anomaly, as the 19th century loggers who harvested virtually every other redwood up and down the Russian River Valley left it standing, for reasons unknown.
In the 150 years since, second-growth trees have filled in the forest, but the Clar Tree still dominates. Stump, who recently saw it for the first time, described the visit in almost spiritual terms.
“You get to see the vibrant, recovering forest, and then the Clar Tree stands as this enormous reminder of what was once and what will be,” he said. “In the next generation, it will return to that grandeur.”
Eventually, Sonoma County will open up the property for scientific research and public use. “I expect folks will be able to walk out there and see this giant tree,” added Stump, whose name befits his profession.
Although the Clar Tree, as an old-growth specimen, was already protected, the rest of the forest had been scheduled to be cut down. According to Misti Arias, general manager of Sonoma County Ag + Open Space, the property was previously owned by a commercial timber operator whose harvest plan had been approved by regulators before last year’s sale.
What makes the property unique, Arias said, is the one mile of frontage on the Russian River. There’s a diversity of terrain as well, with rugged sections and a less densely forested area by the riverbank. “It’s a very visitor-friendly natural feature,” she said.
Indigenous Californians are part of the project. The Russian River was traditionally the home of the Pomo people, and Sonoma County Ag + Open Space is working with two tribes on cultural stewardship. “The Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria made a financial contribution toward the project already,” Arias said.
Coastal redwoods, which grow only in a narrow band from extreme southwestern Oregon south to Big Sur, can live up to 2,000 years. They currently occupy only about 5% of their historic range.