Redwood Hedgerow

May’s Herbal Highlight from the hedgerows is the Redwood tree. Each month we profile a different plant that is an integral part of our home Biodynamic ranch ecology at Frey Vineyards. Grapes are at the heart of our farm, but we also have a surrounding biodiversity reserve. Between the wildlands and the grape vines, we have transitional hedgerow zones.

Frey Vineyards is located in Redwood Valley, a town just north of Ukiah, California on the Highway 101 corridor. So named for a historic wealth of redwoods, the Northern part of Redwood Valley where the Frey Ranch is located is home to a preserve of redwoods. 

For the last several decades, the Frey family has been working to conserve over 100 acres of redwood habitat that is adjacent to Frey Vineyards, in conjunction with the Inland Mendocino County Land Trust. These redwood trees are some of the most inland groves of coastal redwoods left, with just a few stands remaining further to the East. 

Redwoods are incredible altars, standing at around 300 feet tall when fully grown. Many of the redwoods in our area are not old growth anymore because of extensive logging throughout Northern California in the last century. However, there are a few elder trees that remain, along with many younger 100 year old trees. There are records of redwood fossils that date back to the Jurassic period, so redwoods have been with us for a very long time. 

Native to California, redwood trees have evolved with California’s fire ecology. In 2017 when wildfires came to the Frey Ranch, most of the redwoods near the vineyards and in the conserved area survived the blaze. Although their outer branches were burned, new limbs sprouted out from their trunks. For the first year, it looked as though the redwood trees had been dressed in green wool. These iconic trees have become a symbol for our family and work team of resilience and rebirth. 

In honor of the Pacific Coast redwood trees, we even launched a special label called “Pacific Redwood,” which is now available in stores across the country. Like all of our wines, the Pacific Redwood line is organic, no-sulfites-added, and made here at Frey Vineyards in Mendocino County, Northern California.