HIMALAYAN BLACKBERRIES WATER USAGE VERSUS APTOS REDWOODS Historic Findings by SARSAS Environmental Scientist Dylan Huntzinger on How Himalyan Blackberries Must Go Because They Are Water Hogs. Please read thoroughly and carefully. Water Contractor Should be urged to help landowner eradicate Blackberries and replace them with Apton Redwoods. Assessing the value of Sequoia sempervirens for salmonoid fish habitat restoration along Auburn Ravine Dylan A.T. Huntzinger dylanhuntzinger@gmail.com Volunteer Environmental Scientist Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead August, 2016 INTRODUCTION: In addition to native flora, Save Auburn Ravine Salmon and Steelhead (SARSAS) has considered planting coast redwoods (Sequoia sempervirens, also known as the Aptos Blue redwood) along stream banks after the removal of Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus). It is thought that coast redwoods have benefits for salmonid fish habitat restoration and have been successfully used in projects along the California coast. However, their high water consumption and non-native status draws skepticism. Many ecological questions must be answered before conservationists can decide whether to plant coast redwoods along the stream banks of Auburn Ravine. In this report, I analyze the speculated conservation benefits of coast redwoods and run an experiment to compare the water consumption of Sequoia sempervirens with the Rubus armeniacus that those trees would replace. THE CASE FOR REDWOODS: Coast redwoods do have many qualities that make them an ideal tree for riparian restoration. With their impressive height and dense foliage, coast redwoods are an ideal shade tree. This shade is the most important factor in maintaining a cool stream suitable for anadromous fish (Meehan et al., 1997). Coast redwoods are fast-growing, allowing conservation projects to see substantial impacts quickly. Young trees can grow 0.6 - 2.0 meters tall per year. (Olson, Roy, and Walters, nd). The tree in our study reached a height of 15.97 meters (52.4 feet) within eight years. Coast redwoods have a remarkable resistance to both fire and insect damage. Because of this durability, redwood-centered restoration projects are less likely to fall victim to a wildfire or insect invasion Their fibrous, fire-resistant bark protects mature trees from fatality. After a fire, mature redwoods can quickly regenerate crown foliage. Although redwoods are susceptible to 54 species of mites and insects (lower than most conifers), none are capable of singularly killing a mature tree. Additionally, while Douglas firs can be attacked by 30 species of bark beetle, redwoods are susceptible to only four (Snyder, 1992). Huntzinger