America boasts copious environmental marvels, but the redwoods in California tend to top the list. Lonely Planet, for instance, names them first in its “10 of the Best Natural Wonders in the USA” rankings, noting that they can reach a height of 380 feet—the tallest trees in the world and higher than the Statue of Liberty in New York City—and live for up to two millennia.

On the calendar

To showcase their splendor, Save the Redwoods League prints an annual wall calendar for supporters and donors, not unlike similarly sized glossy calendars sent free around the United States and the world. But unlike many others, it includes an annual Jewish tradition: Tu B’Shevat.

The holiday takes place on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, which this year falls on Feb. 13. Commonly called the “New Year of the Trees” (or Rosh Hashanah La’Ilanot in Hebrew), it marks the earliest time certain trees in Israel begin to emerge after winter. Some Jews celebrate with a seder, when it is customary to nibble on the seven species mentioned in the Torah: wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.

Tu B’Shevat has been included in the “Glorious Redwoods Forest” calendar, along with a wide array of holidays, for years—at least since 2018, the organization’s centennial. In that year, the league also organized an event in Golden Gate Park to mark the day.

The iconic redwoods exist naturally only along the California coast, it says, and “have long inspired people from around the world and represent resiliency, the power of nature and simple awe. They are also powerful climate allies, sequestering more carbon per acre than any other forest type in the world.”