Scientists are rebuilding ancient forest ecosystems high in california’s redwood canopy

In California’s Van Eck Forest, researchers are undertaking an ambitious mission to restore one of nature’s most unique ecosystems—the aerial gardens that once thrived in the crowns of ancient redwood trees. These towering giants, which can live over 2,000 years and reach heights exceeding 300 feet, naturally support massive fern mats high in their canopy that serve as floating ecosystems in the sky.

However, extensive logging has reduced old-growth redwood forests to just 5% of their original extent, taking with them the spectacular canopy communities that depend on these ancient trees. The leather-leaf ferns that form these aerial mats are keystone species, storing water, regulating forest temperatures, and creating habitat for salamanders, insects, birds, and rare lichens. “It’s like having a little garden up there,” explains Laurie Wayburn, co-founder of the Pacific Forest Trust.

Since 2021, the Pacific Forest Trust and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt have been collaborating on an innovative solution: transplanting fallen fern mats from old-growth trees into younger redwoods. These researchers are essentially playing ecosystem matchmaker, helping to restore the complex canopy layer that takes centuries to develop naturally. As the transplanted mats establish themselves, they collect decomposing plant matter and germinate seeds, gradually recreating the arboreal gardens that once defined these magnificent forests. This groundbreaking work offers hope for restoring not just the redwoods themselves, but the entire vertical ecosystem that makes these forests among the most carbon-rich on Earth.