Eternal redwoods through cloning

David Milarch, co-founder of the Champion Tree Project, says coast redwoods can reproduce themselves through a natural cloning process and by mating with other trees. A tree like the 800-year-old one he's dubbed "Grandma" could effectively be the latest incarnation of an individual tree that first saw daylight 20,000 years ago.

Not everyone agrees that cloning represents the most effective way to preserve redwoods. Conservation groups have traditionally focused on curbing development and logging along the 500-mile (800-kilometer) stretch from Big Sur to the Oregon state line where most coast redwoods grow. But Rogers says a genetic storehouse from samples of hundreds of California trees could protect the entire species from an unforeseen cataclysm caused by climate change or an imported disease.

	Arborist Looks to Clone Redwood Trees	Associated Press	Fri Nov 2	4
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