Above: From left: James Scott, Village of Brooklyn President Stella Roberts, and two Brooklyn DPW employees – Ben Garrison and Michael Raymond – stand by a dawn redwood tree in Swain Memorial Park that was planted three years ago. Since then, it has grown about two and a half feet. PHOTO COURTESY VILLAGE OF BROOKLYN
Story and photos
By John Hummer
Editor
James Scott, 72, a resident of Napoleon Township, is on a mission. That mission is to get over a million of the ancient, majestic dawn redwood trees planted across Michigan and the northern United States through an initiative called Redwoods for Oxygen.
Redwoods for Oxygen is a reforestation initiative based in Napoleon, focused on ecological and spiritual restoration through the planting of dawn redwoods. (See below “About the dawn redwood.”) The project is committed to climate resilience, biodiversity enhancement, and a faith-based vision of environmental stewardship.
Scott still works nearly 40 hours a week driving a van for the Veterans Administration, so he works hard on his redwood’s initiative in the limited spare time he has.
That’s why he is starting small and will grow from there. Scott lives on a channel of Big Wolf Lake and is targeting his neighbors on Big Wolf and Little Wolf lakes, Olcott and Little Olcott lakes, and Center Lake as his first distribution area. “They’re getting a tree that’s going to be a beautiful tree within a very short time,” he says.
Scott buys the trees from California. “They have a greenhouse there, which is right adjacent to the land where the coastal redwoods grow – that’s why I know I have good, true stock,” he says.
Once thought extinct for millions of years, the dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides) was rediscovered in the remote Hunan Valley of China in the 1940s. With fossil records dating back over 150 million years – predating even the coastal redwoods – this rare “living fossil” represents resilience and ecological continuity in a time of growing environmental concern, noted Scott, adding that they were brought back to the United States from a single grove in the Hunan Valley in the 1940s.
Redwoods for Oxygen founder James Scott proudly holds a branch of a dawn redwood he has grown on his property in Napoleon Township. PHOTO BY JOHN HUMMER
“They love the water,” he said. “Once they hit the water, they can grow five feet in one year, because they hit the water table. The first year it may grow a foot or two, and then all of a sudden it takes off when it hits the water table.”
In addition to plantings in the Napoleon/Grass Lake/Michigan Center chain of lakes area, he has planted some in North Carolina where his brother lives.
But Redwoods for Oxygen is about more than trees. “These towering giants are natural carbon sinks, pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere while producing life-sustaining oxygen,” stated Scott. “Their presence improves soil health, enhances biodiversity, and contributes to long-term ecological stability – making them an important ally in the fight against climate change.”
Scott says he’s been working on his redwood project for almost four years. “It’s not a nonprofit, it’s just an LLC,” he says. “Eventually, I would like to get to a nonprofit, but the accounting required for a nonprofit is much more extensive than required for just an LLC.”
In order to get to the nonprofit status, he is looking for an attorney “to help get everything written legally,” he noted. If his organization takes off, he envisions having employees to help plant the trees, a marketing and social media specialist, a website/programmer for computer needs, and an accountant.
Until he gets to that point, Scott is trying to raise funds to kick off the effort in earnest through a GoFundMe page (see below). “Of the money that is raised, only five percent is going to administration. All the rest is going to go for trees, wire netting, equipment, and labor.
“The long-term goal is to get as many trees as I can get out there to reforest Michigan and all the northern states, because that’s where they lived over 105 million years ago,” he stated. “Their fossil records show them to be much older than the giant sequoia or the coastal redwoods. These dawn redwoods may be the first tree that God planted on this planet.” He noted that the Ice Age destroyed all the dawn redwoods in the United States.
Scott says the Redwoods for Oxygen project is his passion. “You know, I want to make a difference. My pastor (John Masters at Cornerstone Community Church in Brooklyn) says, ‘This is your legacy you’re working.’
“I’m doing this so that we can reforest North America, because ever since 1492, 20 percent of all the woods are gone,” he continued. “And you wonder why we’re having warming of the planet – the trees are what kept the planet cool. And we need to bring that back into equilibrium, and naturally, planting trees takes the CO2 out of the air, which is what everybody’s trying to do, and convert it into oxygen through photosynthesis. It’s just a natural process, but nobody seems to be focusing on it. You see all these companies cutting trees down. Well, let’s grow trees! That makes the difference in the long term.”
“What makes this project unique, says Scott, is its rooted not only in science, but in a vision of sacred restoration. “Inspired by biblical passages such as Isaiah 65:17, Acts 3:21, and Revelation 21:1, we see this work as both an environmental mission and a sacred responsibility. As more communities seek meaningful responses to the climate crisis, Redwoods for Oxygen offers a hopeful model: combining ancient trees, modern science, and a theologically grounded vision of healing the Earth.”
For more information or to get involved, email Redwoods.O2@protonmail.com.
Redwoods for Oxygen GoFundMe
Scott has started a GoFundMe page to jumpstart the Redwoods for Oxygen initiative. It reads, in part:
“As a committed steward of God’s creation, I am passionate about restoring the ancient Redwood forests across the Northern United States, with a special focus on the remarkable dawn redwood (Metasequoia glyptostroboides). Known as a “living fossil,” the dawn redwood was believed extinct for millions of years until its surprising rediscovery in the 1940s. Fossil evidence shows this species has existed for over 150 million years – longer than the more familiar coastal redwoods – making it a symbol of endurance and the dawn of modern forests.
These ancient trees play a vital role in our ecosystem by absorbing carbon dioxide and producing life-sustaining oxygen through photosynthesis. Restoring them is not only an environmental imperative but also a spiritual calling. The goal – if the Lord wills it – is to bring life back to these sacred ecosystems while honoring the Creator’s design, ultimately planting up to 1,000,000 dawn redwoods across the Northern United States within the next five years. All plantings will be documented within an ongoing 4-year journal to track all success.
My initiative, Redwoods for Oxygen, marries ecological stewardship with biblical hope. We seek to prepare the New Earth described in Scripture – a restored creation and God’s eternal dwelling place (Isaiah 65:17; Acts 3:21; Revelation 21:1) – by renewing these living testaments of God’s design. The purpose behind this work is rooted in both faith and science: to reconnect humanity with creation, fulfill our divine responsibility as caretakers, and contribute to long-term environmental healing.”
To visit the page, go to gofundme.com/f/redwoods-for-oxygen-preparing-for-our-lords-return.
About the dawn redwood
Metasequoia, or dawn redwood, is a genus of fast-growing coniferous trees. It contains one extant species, Metasequoia glyptostroboides, which is one of three extant species of redwood in the world. Metasequoia glyptostroboides is native to Lichuan County in Hubei, China. Since its rediscovery in 1944, dawn redwood has become a popular ornamental, with examples found in various parks in a variety of countries.
This ancient tree is extremely fast growing, generally averaging between 3-5 feet per year. Under ideal conditions this tree can even grow seven feet in one year. The soft green needles are fine, feathery, and flattened creating an attractive, layered look. It is also the smallest of the three redwoods: dawn redwoods are typically between 50 and 60 feet tall but can grow taller than 160 feet with a trunk about seven feet in diameter.
Dawn redwood is deciduous, dropping its needles every autumn – an unusual trait for a conifer. This tree is a relative of the California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), diverging around 150 million years ago. The oldest dawn redwoods are said to have lived up to 265 years of age.
