Walking through the two groves at Hendy Woods State Park, it’s clear that at some point in the past fire has come through and left its mark. But the giant coast redwood trees manage to survive the flames fairly easily, and fire can be beneficial to the health of the forest by clearing out the dense undergrowth. Whenever I feel a tinge of regret at the sight of burned-out trees, I have to remind myself that these trees are serious survivors. Their greatest threat has never been fire but human activities like logging. The fact that the Hendy groves are still here is something of a miracle. It’s thanks to persistent work by people like Joshua Hendy and the Anderson Valley Unity Club that we are able to enjoy these beautiful old-growth redwoods, the last remnants of what was once a two-million acre forest.