about
The Last Forests Project was born out of a passion for the beauty of Northern California's beautiful kelp forests, and the difficulty of watching them disappear firsthand. This loss had a profound effect not only on these marine ecosystems, but the communities that surround them.
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This environmental disaster inspired three ocean loving friends to come together and bridge the gap between the science and the public, as well as the land and the sea.
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With your help getting us off the ground in 2020, we were able to head north and begin filming. Five years later, with thousands of miles traveled, hundreds of hours of footage logged, and a couple hundred more hours of writing, and editing - The Last Forests Project was born.
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This project is not funded or backed by any organizations, much of it has been an out-of-pocket labor of love that we hope inspires change in our coastal communities, creates a legacy of ocean activism, and is the eyes and voice for the forests that we cannot see fall.
Kelp Forests
Kelp forests cover over 1/4 of the world's coastlines, and are some of the most biologically productive and diverse ecosystems in the world. Just like terrestrial forests, kelp forests are extremely important carbon sinks, sequestering up to 200 million tonnes of CO2 annually.
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Northern California is (was) home to some of the most prolific kelp forests on the planet, with canopies of bull kelp stretching for miles in areas. These kelp forests not only were home to thousands of marine organisms, but they also played a huge factor in supporting the communities around them.
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To learn more about kelp forests, visit our 'Resources Page'
Urchin Barrens
In Northern California, two main species of sea urchin can be found - Purple Urchins and Red Urchins. Red Sea Urchins are larger and are often targeted by divers for their tasty roe. Purple urchins are much smaller and more numerous, seldom targeted for commercial purposes. Both species eat Kelp.
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From 2014 to 2018, a large recruitment of purple urchins took advantage of warm water and poor kelp growth, mowing down what was left of the kelp. Urchin barrens are areas where all kelp has been eaten by urchins and can not grow back due to severe urchin overpopulation. Hundreds of miles of coastline have changed from lush kelp forests to urchin barrens in just a few years. It is important to remember that urchins are NOT the enemy, they're just taking advantage of an unbalanced ecosystem.
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To learn more about urchins, visit our 'Resources Page'
restoration
Restoration efforts are in place to help restore our kelp forests. Scientists and community members alike are working hard to promote grazer suppression and kelp enhancement.
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Select sites throughout the Northern California coastline undergoing Purple Urchins removal, and kelp out-planting. Many of these sites have been met with success. Although restoring hundreds of miles of coastline is unrealistic, these sites prove what is possible and provide spore banks for future generations of kelp.
From a natural perspective, 2025 has been the healthiest year for kelp growth since these forests collapsed, and sightings of the sunflower star, a natural urchin predator, have become more common.
To learn more about restoration, visit our 'Resources Page'