Threats to the Redwood Forest
In the more recent years, Redwood burl poaching has been a huge problem within the redwood forest. Poachers, commonly known as the "midnight burglars", come in the middle of the night to harvest the burls from the redwood trees, that they sell on the black market for furniture, bowls, or souvenirs. The poachers can get several hundred to thousands of dollars for these burls. In 2013, a 400 year old tree was cut down only for its 500 pound burl that was 60 feet up.
These burls are necessary for the survival of the Redwood trees.When the burl is cut, a large amount of the bark gets damaged or removed. The bark is critical for the tree's protection against insect infestation and fire (the bark is fire-resistant). Candace Tinkler, chief of interpretation and education at the park, stated, "When you take away the burl and leave an open scar, it's similar to me having a major cut on my leg and I left it exposed. Now I'm exposed to other infections." Due to all the poaching, the Redwood National Park has been forced to close 8 miles of road through the forest during the night.
These burls are necessary for the survival of the Redwood trees.When the burl is cut, a large amount of the bark gets damaged or removed. The bark is critical for the tree's protection against insect infestation and fire (the bark is fire-resistant). Candace Tinkler, chief of interpretation and education at the park, stated, "When you take away the burl and leave an open scar, it's similar to me having a major cut on my leg and I left it exposed. Now I'm exposed to other infections." Due to all the poaching, the Redwood National Park has been forced to close 8 miles of road through the forest during the night.
Future changes in climate could affect the redwood trees directly and indirectly. The Climate-related factor that heightens fire risk is summer fog. Certain areas within the coastal redwoods receive high amounts of moisture from fog drip. However, with cooler temperatures and reduced evapotranspiration along the overcast coast are a more widespread influence on the fires within the redwoods.