In an effort to save old-growth redwood trees, students in orange face paint and yellow mustaches gathered for a Lorax look-alike contest on Feb. 27. UC Santa Barbara California Public Interest Research Group organized the event to get students to draft public comments for the United States Forest Service on the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project.

The event raised awareness of the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project. Jaidy Pearson / Daily Nexus

The Lorax, the fuzzy, small, orange protagonist of the Dr. Seuss’ children’s book of the same name, endures as an environmentalist allegory, inspiring people to “speak for the trees.”

The event raised awareness of the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project — which plans to thin parts of Los Padres National Forest to reduce wildfire risk — and prepare for the public comment period, which is estimated to open in April and last 30 days. The project has received opposition from environmentalist groups such as the California Public Interest Group (CALPIRG) because it lacks protections for old growth trees.

“[The Wildfire Risk Reduction Project] has a lot of flaws and really prioritizes economic interests over our trees,” first-year undeclared major and Co-Coordinator for CALPIRG Forest Campaign Summer Smith said.

According to Smith, the project will affect 235,000 acres in Los Padres National Forest, land which is home to many old-growth trees. Smith explained how old-growth trees are important parts of forest ecosystems and absorb lots of carbon from the atmosphere, among other benefits they provide.  

At the Chemistry 1171 room, the Lorax was drawn on a chalkboard to set the stage for the contest as participants sat at the front of the lecture hall. A dozen people showed up, some applying orange face paint down to their arms and struggling to keep yellow mustaches and eyebrows in place.

Those in costume answered questions from first-year political science and history double major and CALPIRG Event Coordinator Elliana Jennings on their favorite thing about trees and why they were contenders to be best Lorax.

“The Lorax, to me, is just kind of my idol really, like my spirit animal,” first-year environmental studies major Lily Camberg, who participated in the contest, said. “It takes a lot of guts to be able to advocate for things that can’t advocate for themselves.”

After a vote by cheering from the audience, Smith won and was awarded a painting of the Lorax.

“[The Lorax] represents what the people really want to exist, which is just coming together and actually making the change that we want to see in the world,” Smith said.

According to Smith, last quarter CALPIRG obtained 1500 signatures for a petition encouraging the U.S. Forest Service to increase protections for old-growth trees.

“I think that it’s really astonishing the lack of protections we have on our old-growth trees, especially when they’re so important for storing carbon, they’re also really important cultural landmarks for a lot of people,” Camberg said. 

An online document instructing participants on how to write public comments outlined solutions for more environmentally friendly fire prevention, including enforcing diameter limits for old-growth trees, clearing around urban interfaces, focusing on thinning younger, more fire-prone trees and having the U.S. Forest Service conduct an environmental impact statement on the project.

After the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project was previously pushed back due to public calls for an environmental impact statement, much of the public attention was lost, according to Smith.

“This project had a ton of public opposition two years ago when it was first proposed, but then they changed the name, pushed it back two years and, all of a sudden, a lot of people don’t know what’s happening,” Smith said. “What’s a better way to spread visibility than having a really fun event?”

A total of 12 people drafted public comments for the U.S. Forest Service, which opens a 30 day public comment period on the Wildfire Risk Reduction Project in April.

A version of this article appeared on p. 7 of the Mar. 6, 2025 edition of the Daily Nexus.