Conserving Californias Water at its Forest Source
New Report Outlines Need for Safeguarding Primary Watershed Serving 22 Million Californians from Mount Shasta to Los Angeles
(For Immediate Release: Nov. 3, 2011) REDDING, CA – Anyone who has seen the classic movie “Chinatown” or read “Cadillac Desert” knows California has a water problem.
Seventy-five percent of the state’s water demand comes from the densely populated and dry southern California. Yet most of the state’s precipitation—more than 70 percent—falls north of Sacramento, in a region defined by the Klamath and Cascade Mountain ranges. This 10-million-acre arc of land encompasses the Trinity Alps, Klamath, Cascade and Northern Sierra Ranges, a vast, interconnected network of forested watersheds that filter and supply this precious resource to more than 25 million Californians via the Central Valley and State Water Projects and Sacramento Delta.
Between 80-85 percent of the water flowing into the Sacramento Delta comes from the Sacramento River—which in turn derives between 80 and 85 percent of its flow from the Klamath-Cascade (KC) Region.
Few Californians realize how much they depend on this region’s water and climate benefits—nor how at-risk those resources are. Steep declines in the state’s timber economy have eroded incentives to retain and maintain the KC’s forests, private or public.
These threats—and strategies for dealing with them—are detailed in “The Klamath Cascade: California’s Forest Watershed in the Balance.” This new report from the Pacific Forest Trust introduces the Region and makes recommendations for an innovative “all-lands,” landscape-scale approach to its management in order to secure the future of California’s primary water source.
A host of factors promote forest conversion, neglect and degradation: from globalization to climate change and invasive species, to the economic crisis, changing demographics and forest ownerships. Californians need to act swiftly to ensure the continued health of the Klamath-Cascade’s forested watersheds that are so critical to the state’s supply of fresh, clean drinking and agricultural water and overall economic health.
Pacific Forest Trust President Laurie Wayburn, the report’s primary author, says now is the time to secure the resources of the Klamath-Cascade, while they are still intact. “Recent US Forest Service reports tell us forest health is directly related to water quality—which has significantly declined statewide. But we have a chance to prevent further degradation in the Klamath-Cascade, where most of the state’s water comes from,” Wayburn said. “The key lies in transforming a declining timber economy into a sustainable forest economy through conservation and stewardship of our forest lands for multiple public benefits—like water.
“We can protect the integrity of our water supplies, reduce fire risks, supply renewable energy and increase the capacity of our forests to prevent climate change,” Wayburn added. “But we need a plan for managing and conserving this region as the one great forest it naturally is. The foundation of that plan lies in public-private partnerships that will boost the overall economic resilience of the region while promoting conservation.”
Unemployment figures in Shasta and Siskiyou county are higher than the state and national average—ranging from 16 to 19 percent throughout the year. Jobs in forestry and wood product manufacturing—once a mainstay of the Region—now rank 21st (as of 2008). But investment in conservation and forest restoration would go far to reverse that trend, Wayburn said, citing University of Massachusetts PERI Institute research indicating investment in reforestation and forest restoration creates more jobs per dollar invested than any other “green” industry. At the same time, such conservation and stewardship investment can secure the state’s water supplies, make forests more resistant to catastrophic fire and climate change and increase recreational opportunities for the public, according to the Klamath-Cascade Report.
“As the climate changes we have more uncertainty than ever about where California’s water will come from if precipitation patterns change and our snowpack continues to recede,” said U.S. Forest Service Hydrologist Steve Bachmann. “This report notes that glaciers in the Klamath-Cascade region are the only ones in the state that are actually growing. The growing glaciers and the abundant cold water spring flows that feed the rivers in the region make the landscape that delivers that water downstream even more important.”
The good news is, roughly half of the lands in the Klamath-Cascade are already in public ownership and as such, are conserved. To ensure future watershed health and function, 85 percent of the landscape must remain intact—meaning if just half of the remaining privately owned lands were conserved, the region’s water supply and quality could be assured. The report suggests working forest conservation easements are a key tool for achieving this goal, by keeping those lands in private ownership and productive use with voluntary agreements that limit development and stipulate sustainable forest management. In return, landowners are paid for giving up their development rights—and can use that money to reinvest in their forest operations.
“Whenever a ‘holistic’ approach for addressing environmental concerns is advocated, economics is almost universally left out of the equation. Conservation easements help address that glaring omission,” said Ric Costales, Natural Resource Policy Specialist for Siskiyou County, who serves as liaison for the Board of Supervisors and local government on natural resource issues in Siskiyou County.
The KC Report provides a comprehensive overview of the multiple ecological and economic values on the line in the Klamath-Cascade, with sections on forest management, water, climate change, biological diversity, fire, recreation and the people of the KC. It’s five key recommendations include:
* Managing the region for watershed services;
* Dedicating a percentage of annual revenues from state and federal water projects to watershed conservation and restoration;
* Investment in sustainable forest management that promotes resilience to catastrophic wildfires and climate change;
* Dedicate a portion of federal and state renewable energy and fuel subsidies to small-scale woody biomass energy/fuel facilities.
Media interviews with Klamath-Cascade Report author Laurie Wayburn are available, as are interviews with KC stakeholders including land downers, public agency officials, foresters and others.
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About the Pacific Forest Trust: Since 1993, the Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) has been dedicated to conserving and sustaining America’s vital, productive forest landscapes. Working with forest owners, communities and an array of partners, we advance innovative, incentive-based strategies to safeguard our nation’s diverse forests. In so doing, we’re ensuring forests continue to provide people everywhere—from rural communities to urban centers—with a wealth of benefits, including clean water, sustainably harvested wood, green jobs, wildlife habitat and a livable climate. To date, PFT has directly conserved 50,000 acres of forestland in California, Oregon and Washington valued at more than $160 million, including 40,000 acres that have been conserved with working forest conservation easements. PFT also is the project developer and manager of the Van Eck Forest Project, California’s first registered emissions reduction project. Recognized as a national leader in sustainable forestry and conservation, PFT has provided conservation advice and services to owners of more than 10 million acres of forestland from coast to coast.