Create a series of five to six visitor events throughout the...
How your support helps: There are many ways to experience Tuolumne Meadows: gazing across toward the high peaks, fishing or swimming in the river, going to Parsons Memorial Lodge, strolling through the meadow and listening to the birds. But there is no experience without the actual meadow. And the trees that are encroaching into Tuolumne Meadows could permanently alter this special place.
As the trees grow, the meadows, the views, the cultural landscape – and all that compose the Tuolumne Meadows experience shrink. With your support, these trees will be removed by crews from the Mono band of Paiute Indians to preserve and restore the historical scenic views visitors have come to expect and appreciate.
A similar Conservancy-funded project was completed in 2007 and 2008 to remove trees from the meadows. That project also determined the ages of trees and evaluated the impacts of the road on meadow hydrology, which were found to be minimal.
This year: In 2023, crews will oversee the removal of lodgepole pines that are growing in selected areas throughout Tuolumne – including Ranger Meadow, the campground, and the visitor center. These will then be chipped and dried offsite and converted into biochar – a carbon negative material that will restore carbon lost from removing the trees.
Project partners: Yosemite National Park, Calaveras Healthy Impact Product Solutions (CHIPS)