Earlier this month, the San Francisco-based nonprofit organization Save the Redwoods League announced that it would “donate” care of a giant 3,000-year-old western juniper tree to another nonprofit, Jackson-based Mother Lode Land Trust. Along with it comes a 3-acre parcel in the Stanislaus National Forest and $40,000 in “seed funding toward its long-term stewardship.”
In a press release, Save the Redwoods League land steward manager Anthony Castaños stated, “After more than 30 years of stewarding the Bennett Juniper property, we're pleased to convey this remarkable place to Mother Lode Land Trust. The organization has the capacity and local ties to ensure its future most readily.”
The Bennett Juniper, as it is named, is the largest known juniper tree and one of the oldest known trees in the world. The tree is estimated to be 3,000 years old, but its exact age is unknown. According to preservationists, the tree stands 86 feet tall, which is taller than most western junipers by about 20 to 30 feet. The famous tree is located in Section 5, Township 5 North, Range 20 east of the Mount Diablo meridian, on an inholding in the Stanislaus National Forest in Tuolumne County. The Save the Redwoods League has cared for the tree since they acquired it from the Nature Conservancy over 30 years ago in 1987.
The famous tree was named after naturalist Clarence Bennett, who traveled the West Coast studying western junipers (juniperus occidentalis) beginning in the late 19th century. Bennett first saw the tree when a local sheep rancher showed it to him in 1932.
“For years thereafter, Bennett continued to advocate for the tree’s protection, and in the 1950s the USDA Forest Service named the tree after Bennett,” states the news release.
Save the Redwoods League has spent decades protecting the tree by installing “protective fencing around the Bennett Juniper’s base and the boundary of the property,” as well as providing “interpretive panels … about the tree and its history.” The league also hired a caretaker, Ken Brunges, who “lived onsite and diligently protected the Bennett Juniper for three decades.”
“After Brunges’ exit, and with careful consideration and discussion between the nonprofit organizations, the League determined that MLLT, a more localized organization, would be best suited to manage the property going forward,” states the release.
Now it is entrusted to the care and stewardship of the Mother Lode Land Trust, whose mission is “protecting the agricultural and natural landscapes and historic character of the Mother Lode and Central Sierra region for the benefit of present and future generations.”
Ellie Routt, Executive Director of Mother Lode Land Trust, stated, "The Bennett Juniper is an unrivaled specimen of western juniper. This gnarled and knotted tree has withstood drought, hard winters and lightning strikes for thousands of years. MLLT's ownership of this property ensures local oversight and permanent protection so that everyone can have the chance to see this amazing tree.”
For more information on the Mother Lode Land Trust and the care of the Bennett Juniper, visit motherlodelandtrust.org or call (209) 304-8804. For more information about the Save the Redwoods League, visit savetheredwoods.org or call (888) 836-0005.
