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An arborist on a mission to preserve and restore Northern California’s towering redwoods has begun taking cuttings that he hopes can be used to make genetic clones of the ancient trees. David Milarch, 58, believes these trees can provide the toughest possible stock for a kind of “genetic savings account.” He hopes that material can be used to restore old-growth redwoods in their native range up and down the state. About 95 percent of the original forest has been cut down over the last few hundred years. “What does this tree’s immune system have in it that it has survived when other trees haven’t?” Milarch asked, leaning against a massive, shaggy trunk of a redwood he’s dubbed “Grandma.” He estimates the tree is at least 800 years old. Milarch said coast redwoods can reproduce themselves through a natural cloning process and by mating with other trees. A tree like Grandma could effectively be the latest incarnation of an individual tree that first saw daylight 20,000 years ago, he said. “If we’re going to pick out the strongest, longest-lived genetics, this old gal’s a survivor,” Milarch said. Horticulturists and genetic engineers plan to use the samples from the Marin County redwoods to see which of several techniques—some traditional, some cutting-edge—work best to reproduce the trees. Source: Associated Press/p>
An arborist on a mission to preserve and restore Northern California’s towering redwoods has begun taking cuttings that he hopes can be used to make genetic clones of the ancient trees. David Milarch, 58, believes these trees can provide the toughest possible stock for a kind of “genetic savings account.” He hopes that material can be used to restore old-growth redwoods in their native range up and down the state. About 95 percent of the original forest has been cut down over the last few hundred years.
“What does this tree’s immune system have in it that it has survived when other trees haven’t?” Milarch asked, leaning against a massive, shaggy trunk of a redwood he’s dubbed “Grandma.” He estimates the tree is at least 800 years old.
Milarch said coast redwoods can reproduce themselves through a natural cloning process and by mating with other trees. A tree like Grandma could effectively be the latest incarnation of an individual tree that first saw daylight 20,000 years ago, he said. “If we’re going to pick out the strongest, longest-lived genetics, this old gal’s a survivor,” Milarch said.
Horticulturists and genetic engineers plan to use the samples from the Marin County redwoods to see which of several techniques—some traditional, some cutting-edge—work best to reproduce the trees.
Source: Associated Press/p>
Francisco Uviña, University of New Mexico
Hardscape Oasis in Litchfield Park
Ash Nochian, Ph.D. Landscape Architect
November 12th, 2025
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