Living cathedrals: The important work of protecting the Giant Sequoia

“When you’re sitting 250 feet in the air, cradled in the branches of a tree that’s been growing for millennia, it’s hard not to feel humbled.”

That’s how researcher and forest canopy ecologist Wendy Baxter describes the feeling of being in the crown of a Giant Sequoia. And she knows better than most: As a co-founder of the Ancient Forest Society (AFS), Wendy has dedicated years to the research and conservation of these giant trees. For example, in 2024, she and fellow co-founder Anthony Ambrose, PhD, became the first to climb the famous General Sherman tree in Sequoia National Park—more than 270 feet tall and more than 2,000 years old.

Climbing these giants, Baxter confesses, never gets old. It’s certainly bringing out the best in her, Ambrose, and the 90-plus staff and volunteers who help the organization with its research each year. And it’s a good thing, too.

While Giant Sequoias like General Sherman have endured for thousands of years in the Sierra Nevada mountains, the future is less certain. Extreme droughts, climate change, fire, and insects have increased stress on the trees and have even caused some surprising deaths in recent years. These threats led Ambrose, Baxter and Steen Christensen to create the Ancient Forest Society. They lead climbs in these trees not for thrill or conquest, but out of a sense of responsibility—to gather data and fight for these trees to continue inspiring future generations.

AFS is currently conducting a two-year research project in the Parker Peak and Mountain Home groves in the southern Sierra Nevada to investigate bark-beetle attacks in Giant Sequoias—attacks that used to have little impact but now seem to be doing real damage. To find the cause, the research is investigating more than the insect damage. “We’re trying to understand the interaction between drought, fire damage, and beetle attack to see how they compromise resilience,” Ambrose explains. It’s information that could help land managers make smarter decisions about how and when to intervene.

Research requires data. So AFS researchers install sensors like dendrometers and solar-powered monitors that capture water-flow measurements in the sapwood every 10 minutes. They take samples of inner bark and sapwood for analysis. They’re recording details like insect damage, carbohydrate status, water content, and defense chemicals that can signal stress in the tree. Gathering the data can mean climbing these trees multiple times per day, sometimes starting before dawn.

“A 2,000- or 3,000-year-old tree is just different,” Ambrose says. “You can feel it. There’s a presence to something that’s been living for so long. These elders are powerful.”

Others, including Baxter, agree wholeheartedly. “They’re living cathedrals,” she says. “They’re ancient organisms, and it’s so important to be respectful.”

Even after years of climbs, one can still feel Baxter’s sense of awe when she talks about the experience. She mentions the silence of the canopy, the patterns in the foot-thick bark from hundreds of years of existence, the moments when a branch thicker than you are tall might shift beneath your rope. “You feel like a tiny insect on a giant organism,” she says. “Every time, it’s amazing. I never get used to it.”

That sense of respect is evident in how they climb. They don’t use spikes and always use cambium savers to protect the living layers within the tree.

These climbs are unique—especially when the first substantial branch is 130 feet off the ground. To bridge the distance, AFS uses 600-foot Sterling 9mm HTP ropes almost exclusively for its low stretch and light weight. To get those ropes to the height they need, Ambrose and Baxter have modified a crossbow so it shoots a bolt that trails a fishing line that they use to pull the rope into the tree. “We fire as high as we can go,” Baxter says.  

Giant Sequoias support multiple species and stabilize ecosystems. And they invite us to think on a generational scale about life, what we want from it, and what we want the future to be. Without these trees, we lose living witnesses to 2,000 years of history.

“I hope that Giant Sequoias last for generations to come,” Baxter says. The work that AFS is doing may help, as the information and insights can be used by anyone interested in forestry or conservation. “We’re building the foundation for future forest conservation through science,” Ambrose says.

While both Baxter and Ambrose have concerns for the future, there is also hope. As Baxter says: “We still have to do the hard work.” That hope is what keeps AFS motivated when the work seems grueling—and what keeps them coming back so they can uncover the answers that will make a difference.

•    Volunteer. AFS relies on volunteers for their in-the-canopy research. In 2024, AFS had ninety-one unique volunteers from around the world. Learn more about volunteering for AFS.
•   Donate or become a member. AFS is a small organization on a small budget. You can donate here, and you can become an AFS member here.
•    Get outside. “You could go to your local park,” Baxter says. “The important thing is to reconnect with nature and want to protect it.”

Sterling Rope is committed to sustainability and proud to support organizations like the Ancient Forest Society. Learn more about how the Ancient Forest Society is protecting the world’s largest trees at ancientforestsociety.org.