FOREST FLASH December 2021
In Pacific Forest Trust’s e-newsletter, Forest Flash, we send you the most recent PFT news and updates on forests, clean water, climate, and wildlife, no more than once or twice a month. Subscribe here.
It’s the end of the year, and who really has the energy for much more than a review of the hits from 2021? Despite COVID leading to another unsettled year, PFT experienced considerable success, all of which was attributable to our terrific partners and supporters. Thank you!
Over the next few years, PFT has the opportunity to conserve tens of thousands of acres of forest for their climate value. In 2021 we acquired a conservation easement and took a huge step toward forest ownership in regions where we’ve played a significant role in conserving forests for years, the McCloud watershed and the Siskiyou Crest. In June, the California Wildlife Conservation Board approved a grant to PFT to help acquire a conservation easement on the Lightning Canyon Ranch adjacent to Lake Shasta. The 2,100-acre ranch links the Shasta National Forest with other working forests, creating a buffer from expanding development and adding to our larger work in the McCloud watershed, where we have conserved over 35,000 acres of well-managed forest.
In Oregon, we received a grant to purchase 1120 acres for the Mt. Ashland Demonstration Forest, ensuring protection for the entirety of the Siskiyou Crest area for conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable forestry. When complete, the acquisition will create an integrated landscape of properties being managed across boundaries for climate adaptation, critical habitat and watershed values. The Mt. Ashland Demonstration Forest will serve as a model for improving adaptation options for plants and wildlife, restoring more resilient forest structure, and increasing lasting carbon stores while reducing the threat of catastrophic fire.
As we look toward accelerating our work to conserve additional forests, November brought an affirmation of our ability to do so. After a rigorous process, the Land Trust Accreditation Commission announced that it has renewed PFT’s accredited land trust status for another five years. This re-accreditation is not only a recognition of our excellence in the field, it ensures we can and will continue to build upon the land we protect.
In California, 2021 began with Governor Newsom’s Forest Management Task Force releasing a Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan. PFT was a key part of the Task Force since the beginning, advocating that fire management actions align with those for climate, water, and biodiversity, and we were pleased to see those prominently included in the plan. We continued to work with a diverse coalition of stakeholders to ensure the provisions in the plan were supported with funding, and that campaign led the California Legislature to act on numerous budget bills that allocated unprecedented funding for wildfire prevention and climate preparedness. And when California released a draft Climate Smart Land Strategy, we were pleased to see Working Forest Conservation Easements, a mechanism pioneered by Pacific Forest Trust, cited for their climate benefits and protection of water supply and wildlife habitat.
In Oregon, as the state considers the future of the Elliott State Forest, PFT continues to engage with stakeholders and decision-makers to ensure the forest is conserved and well-managed for all its public trust values. And we believe that a Working Forest Conservation Easement is the best mechanism for doing so. On the national level, PFT worked with Oregon Senator Ron Wyden to introduce an amendment to the infrastructure bill that would fully recognize the water storage function of watersheds. While the Senate stopped hearing amendments early and it was not included, we do see opportunities to invest in natural infrastructure through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that was eventually signed into law. We will continue to work with leaders like Senator Wyden and California Congressman Jared Huffman on natural infrastructure through bills such as the FUTURE Act and mechanisms such as the USDA Forest Legacy Program to ensure that landscapes are conserved at scale.
And finally, in November a PFT delegation traveled to Scotland in our role as Accredited Observer at COP26, engaging with global leaders and sharing why forests must be at the core to solving the climate crisis. PFT is committed to advancing policy at the state, federal, and global levels, and 2021 illustrated our ability to do so.
Your support of PFT is critical to our efforts to protect forests for all their values, and to ensure that state and national policy leads to the conservation of forests for their climate value. In October, we announced a generous challenge from an anonymous donor that allows you to double your impact, and the response has been incredible. We’re now more than 90% of the way there! All first-time contributions, increases from previous gifts, or new monthly contributions will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $100,000.
Please help us end 2021 on a positive note as we build toward what we hope will be our most impactful year ever! Thank you, and our warmest wishes for the New Year.
Give with confidence. Charity Navigator awarded Pacific Forest Trust a perfect score in finance and accountability.