FOREST FLASH
AUGUST 2024
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. Subscribe here.
We are thrilled to announce the successful completion of the Trinity Headwaters Conservation Project. This landmark achievement secures the protection of nearly 11,000 acres, representing almost 10% of the Upper Trinity watershed—a major source of California’s water supply.
The protected property, situated where the Klamath Mountains meet the Southern Cascades, boasts vast mixed-conifer forests, globally recognized biodiversity, wet meadows, springs, and lakes. It includes 4.5 miles of the Trinity River and over 50 miles of spring-fed tributaries, which feed into the federal Central Valley Project, supplying critical water for the state’s agriculture as well as communities and cities.
The $15.5M project was made possible through generous contributions from California’s Wildlife Conservation Board, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. It is, to our knowledge, the first conservation project for which this HUD program has providing funding. This grant was made possible by Congressman Jared Huffman, in whose district the project is.
“The Trinity Headwaters project,” says Congressman Huffman, “is a novel initiative that will have both ecological and community benefits, bolstering the local economy.”
PFT purchased the property from New Forests, honoring an agreement with the prior owner, MichiCal Timber Company, and has now transferred ownership to the Watershed Research and Training Center (WRTC). WRTC will manage the land under a working forest conservation easement held by PFT. This ensures the property will be managed for watershed values, climate resilience, habitat enhancement, and utilize natural forest management, sustainable practices.
This project contributes significantly to California’s 30×30 conservation goals, protecting endangered wildlife and plants, some found nowhere else in the world. Nearly 250 species, including the northern spotted owl and Sierra Nevada red fox, will benefit from this protected, well-managed habitat.
The successful completion of the Trinity Headwaters acquistion marks a significant step in creating an integrated network of protected headwaters forests in the Klamath-Cascade Region, benefiting biodiversity, water resources, climate resilience and local communities for generations to come.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB), a milestone worth celebrating as we reflect on their invaluable contributions to protecting Oregon’s natural landscapes, not least the state’s biodiverse watersheds. OWEB has been one of PFT’s steadfast partners, particularly supporting our work to reweave and conserve the globally outstanding diversity living in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument (CNSM) and along the Siskiyou Crest.
One of the highlights of this partnership is our Mountcrest Working Forest Conservation Easement, which has played a key role in conserving the biodiversity of this unique region, expanding the impact of the CSNM while retaining forests in private, productive ownership. Additionally, our recently acquired Mount Ashland Demonstration Forest stands as a testament to how enhancing forest resilience and preserving local economies can go hand in hand. These projects, and others, protect and restore Oregon’s irreplaceable forests that will continue to provide critical water, habitats, and recreational opportunities for generations to come.
As we look to the future, PFT is excited for continued collaboration with OWEB, and to further enlist working forests to help achieve the Board’s conservation goals. OWEB’s continued leadership is vital to the long-term health and resilience of Oregon’s beautiful and productive landscapes.
Please consider a donation to the Pacific Forest Trust. Your help—in all capacities—makes our work possible. Thanks for supporting us as we support forests!
As wildfires such as the devastating Park Fire rage on across California, the critical need for proactive fire management has never been clearer. That’s why we are excited to share a new educational video showcasing our large-scale prescribed burn project on the McCloud Soda Springs Working Forest in Siskiyou County. This video documents the preparation, implementation, and initial results of this burn, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how “good fire” can be used to fight the devastating impacts of bad fire.
This 1,346-acre property, owned by Schroll Timberlands, lies within the wildland-urban interface (WUI) surrounding the town of McCloud. Over the past several years, PFT has been leading an ambitious effort to enhance the property’s wildlife habitats, including its many productive wet meadows, and overall forest health through a variety of treatments: commercial harvest, biomass thinning, brush mastication, and reduction of fuel loads.
The culmination of these efforts is the reintroduction of low-intensity prescribed fire. In the spring of 2024, with the support of a grant from the Wildlife Conservation Board, PFT conducted the first phase of this landmark prescribed burn project—the biggest on private commercial forestland in over 20 years. Additional burns are planned for later this Fall as well as over the next several years. This will help restore and maintain a more climate-and fire resilient forest as well as reduce risk for McCloud and it’s surrounding WUI zone.
By sharing our experience, we aim to engage and educate forest owners and foresters on the practical benefits and techniques of reintroducing fire to private timberlands, ultimately inspiring more landowners to adopt this critical tool for healthy, fire-adapted forests—and to promote community safety.
Many thanks to CAL FIRE in making the production of this educational video possible!
ICYMI
In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are some other exciting things PFT has been involved in lately!
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- A crew from CBS joined us to witness our prescribed fire at McCloud Soda Springs. The segment was syndicated on many CBS franchises, including CBS Boston, CBS Bay Area, and CBS Sacramento, bringing to a national audience great footage of how “good fire” can restore forest health and enhance community safety.
- On Smokey Bear’s 80th birthday, PFT President Laurie Wayburn penned an op-ed in The Hill about how Smokey’s “only YOU can prevent wildfires” slogan inadvertently created a culture of dangerous fire suppression. Now, he can right that wrong by embracing a message of “good fire.”
- Several outlets have reported on our completion of the Trinity Headwaters project, which secures a critical water source for California. Here’s a selection of the coverage: SFGate, Maven’s Notebook, and the Redding Record Searchlight.
- PFT’s VP of Policy & Incentives, Paul Mason, spoke out against SB610 in The Sacramento Bee, highlighting the risks of eliminating California’s tiered wildfire hazard system, which could undermine fire-resilient housing development. This bill has now been held in the Legislature.
