Milling Old-Growth Redwood for Big Sur Land Trust

In the heart of Mitteldorf Preserve, one of several of Big Sur Land Trust's properties, two massive old-growth redwood trees stood for centuries before being damaged by the 2016 Soberanes Fire. This preserve is home to some of the most stunning natural landscapes in California, including the oldest known redwood tree in Monterey County—estimated to be at least 1286 years old.

These two particular redwoods burned for several days after firefighters contained the blaze, but the fire inside them—more than 60 feet up—was impossible to extinguish. Then, overnight, one of the trees collapsed into the other, bringing down both giants. 

When the Big Sur Land Trust reached out with a vision to repurpose these fallen giants, we knew this would be a special project—one that combined craftsmanship, sustainability, and preservation.

A Remote Milling Challenge

This was no ordinary milling job. The site was deep in the wilderness, accessible only by narrow, winding roads, making transportation a challenge. To make it possible, we first cleared an area to stage the smaller log sections while preparing to mill the larger ones. The sheer size of the logs required us to bring in a CAT T28 loader to move them to the milling site.

With no quick way in or out, our crew camped for a few nights, working long days to carefully mill the massive redwood logs into high-quality slabs. Since the road was so narrow, we could only transport three to four slabs at a time, making each trip out of the preserve a careful balancing act.

Giving New Life to Old-Growth Redwood

Even at 60 feet above the ground when they collided, these tree trunks were still over 40 inches in diameter—producing beautiful large slabs. The slabs we milled from these fallen giants will be used to support the Big Sur Land Trust in its mission to conserve and protect California's wild landscapes. Each slab represents the natural history of the region—whether as a custom-built table or a raw piece of wood that an individual can finish themselves.

As part of our commitment to this project, we are donating the first table milled from this timber to be auctioned at an upcoming Big Sur Land Trust fundraising event. This one-of-a-kind table, crafted from historic old-growth redwood, will help raise funds to continue the Land Trust's vital conservation efforts.

Watch the Journey

The Big Sur Land Trust documented the entire process in an incredible video, showing the journey of these old-growth logs from the remote forest to their next chapter.

At Out of the Woods, we're honored to be part of meaningful projects like this—where craftsmanship meets conservation, and history is preserved through the beauty of wood.

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