Explore The Cedars

The Cedars is a unique ecological area in Sonoma County. The dominant tree of The Cedars is Sargent’s Cypress, not a Cedar tree, as the name suggests. Hesperocyparis sargentii or Cupressus sargentii is a conifer species in the Cupressaceae family. The fantastical expressions of this cypress tree at The Cedars are wide-ranging, from tall trees in rich canyon bottoms to gnarled ancient specimens growing out of rock crevices.

Roger Raiche is the chief liaison to The Cedars and has been volunteering on this project since first discovering the area in 1981. In the 1980s and 1990s, Roger volunteered with the US BLM to create The Cedars Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). David McCrory has been a volunteer liaison on The Cedars project since 1999, when Roger and David first bought The Main Canyon parcel at the center of The Cedars. The team and a crew of volunteers have worked to clean, increase fire safety, and create trail systems and a functional base camp for exploration.

Roger and David started The Cedars science program in 1999, built on decades of scientific investigations. Starting in 2006, Roger Raiche, David McCrory, and Kate Anderton worked with Sonoma Land Trust on various planning documents for future conservation work. In 2011, the team worked with top conservation agencies led by The Moore Foundation, Save The Redwoods League, Coastal Conservancy, and the US BLM to permanently conserve The Main Canyon parcel. A host to one of the most concentrated areas of biological diversity in the Bay Area, The Cedars is one of California’s natural gems worth learning about.

Take a deep dive into learning about The Cedars through our online flipbook below or download your copy for free here.

Articles about The Cedars