Redwood National and State Parks: The Forest That Was Almost Lost. Redwood National and State Parks protect the tallest trees on Earth, but most of California’s original redwood forests were logged before protection arrived. Established in 1968, the park preserved what remained much of it recovering rather than untouched raising difficult questions about late conservation and irreversible loss. #nationalpark #parkhistory #hiddenhistory #americanhistory #redwoodnationalpark national park history,