Out of This World

Video by Andrew Avitt

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Reforestation Seedling Loadout (B-Roll)

U.S. Forest Service

April 10, 2026 | 1:44

Workers load native tree seedlings for transport to reforestation sites on the Mendocino National Forest near Clear Lake, California, April 15, 2026. The loadout process is a critical step in restoring areas devasted by the 2018 Ranch Fire, moving climate resilient saplings from the nursery to the field.
The U.S. Forest Service, Patriot Restoration Ops, and Clear Lake Environmental Research Center gathered on the Mendocino National Forest to plant seedlings in an effort to restore parts of the forest affected by the 2018 Ranch Fire. In just eight days, the crew planted 71,000 seedlings on the hillside east of the communities of Nice and Lucerne. The ponderosa pine, Douglas fir, and incense cedar came from a nearby Forest Service nursery in Placerville, California. The reforestation effort, part of the Northshore Restoration Project, aims to reforest over 2,600 acres. Another project objective is to reduce fuels, such as brush and dead trees, on approximately 40,000 acres, lowering wildfire risk to nearby communities. (Forest Service video by Andrew Avitt)