MUSKEGON, Mich. — Giant sequoia trees, like redwoods, are mainly found in the Sierra Nevada in California. However, according to Andrew Prater, founder of the Shiba Sequoia Forest, they can grow locally.
“We’ve already planted, as a collective, over 500 here in Muskegon and the surrounding areas, from homes to— we got a few in terraces and a few other public areas as well,” Prater said.
On Friday and Saturday September 1 and 2, they’re giving away some baby sequoias, or sacklings, at the first ever ShibaFest on Lemuel Street.
By Friday afternoon, dozens of people filled the festival, listening to live music or shopping at one of the booths.
“We have 13 musicians and bands that’ll be performing. Each one of them will be planting a giant sequoia tree that you see here,” Prater said while pointing to one the trees placed near the stage. “Year after year, I’ll clone them. I’ll take the fresh material each year, year after year, encourage roots to grow.”
Then, they’re off to nurseries for mass production, he said. He had 300 small ones at the fest, and the first 100 attendees got to take one home for free. After that, they'll cost ten dollars each.
“Sequoia trees are long-lasting,” said Prater’s friend and local rapper Calven J. “So, they are pretty much going to be here longer than you and I. And, the longer that they’re here, the longer that they’ll benefit the planet for those who come after us.”
Prater said sequoias grow to be 300 feet tall, 3,000 years old and have a diameter of 30 feet. And, they’re known to reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
“The significance of these trees is they sequester carbon more than any other tree,” Prater said. “If each one of us were to plant one of these trees, we can offset our carbon footprint for our entire lives.”
He said they grow in almost any environment. Locally, there are giant sequoias at Lake Bluff Farms in Manistee, off of Lake Michigan.
At the festival, they’re also fundraising to help build a startup nursery, Prater said. There are several around the country. Prater transformed his own backyard into one. He hopes to help build more so that the genetics of the sequoias are preserved and made available to the public to ultimately reduce the carbon footprint in the air.
“I want to see change in the world,” Prater said. “I want to see growth in the world.”
