Forest Flash: July 2024 - Pacific Forest Trust

FOREST FLASH

JULY 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 .

Restoring Critical Salmon Habitat on van Eck Oregon

PFT has just completed a vital stream restoration project on the Jones Ranch tract of the van Eck Oregon property. This is part of a larger initiative focused on restoring both the Sugarbowl and Big Elk Creeks to revitalize some of Oregon’s most important Oregon Coast (OC) Coho salmon spawning grounds. The OC Coho salmon are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Both creeks, which flow into the Yaquina River and ultimately Yaquina Bay, have been identified as Essential Salmonid Habitat (ESH) by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW). The project addresses the primary factors limiting Oregon Coast Coho recovery: which are the lack of instream complexity and winter-rearing habitats.

Some of the creek restoration crew on van Eck Oregon.

Key project elements include:

Placement of 80 large trees and root wads to create ponds and pools crucial for fish spawning and rearing.
Formation of clean gravel areas for adult fish egg-laying and slow-moving water sections for juvenile fish growth during warm, dry months.
Removal of invasive species and replanting of native vegetation to establish a healthy riparian buffer.

This collaborative effort showcases PFT’s commitment to sustainable forest management, habitat restoration and conservation.

Togetherness and Progress on Historic Land Return Near Yosemite

In mid-July, PFT’s Board of Directors met with leaders of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation (SSMN) on the 900 acre, PFT-owned Henness Ridge property to discuss the property’s history and management, as well as future collaborations once the transfer of the property—currently in-process—to the tribe is complete. With towering conifer forest, oak woodlands and multiple springs, this ecologically diverse property overlooks the Yosemite Valley and both branches of the Wild and Scenic Merced River. The transfer of the property to the SSMN is being made possible thanks to a generous grant from the California Natural Resources Agency Tribal Nature-Based Climate Solutions Program.

Some of the property was impacted by 2018’s Ferguson fire, when about two thirds of it burned. Much of that impact was beneficial, as low to moderate intensity, and has improved forest health and enhanced growth in more naturally spaced stands. PFT has both salvaged and replanted in severely burned portions, and natural regeneration is also robust. The forests are recovering well.

Regrowth after the Ferguson fire.

Sandra Chapman, Tribal Chairwoman of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation, joined the tour and reiterated the importance of this land return: “This significant piece of our ancestral Yosemite land will bring our community together and benefit our children and grandchildren. It will be a sanctuary for our people.”

The SSMN intends to restore and enhance the land’s natural climate resilience using traditional practices as well as prescribed fire and other means of supporting and enhancing the natural biodiversity of this land and cultivating culturally significant plants. PFT will hold a conservation easement on the property, ensuring ongoing support for the tribe’s stewardship efforts and the continued conservation of this biodiverse landscape for generations to come.

The project also offers a unique opportunity to showcase tribal-led, nature-based climate solutions, given its adjacency to Yosemite National Park and demonstrates how these practices can contribute to California’s ambitious climate goals.

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Monumental California Climate Bond Heads to November 2024 Ballot

In an extraordinary vote for climate action, California legislators passed the $10 billion Safe Drinking Water, Wildfire Prevention, Drought Preparedness, and Clean Air Bond Act of 2024 (SB 867) on July 3rd. This historic climate bond, the largest climate and conservation investment in California’s history, will now be on the November 8th ballot for Golden State voters to consider.

Conserved and well-managed healthy forests, such as this one, are powerful and relatively untapped tools in the fight against climate change.

The bond allocates funds across several critical areas, including $3.8 billion for increasing the state’s water security, $1.5 billion for wildfire management and forest resilience, and $1.2 billion for biodiversity conservation and nature-based climate solutions. PFT has been an influential voice in shaping this legislation, leveraging our experience in both climate and fire resilient forest and watershed management and drafting and sponsoring complementary conservation and climate regulation bills.

SB 867 is poised to become a crucial vehicle for implementing natural climate solutions targets established through AB 1757, which aims to conserve natural and working lands (NWL) to scale up the natural carbon-sequestration abilities of these biological carbon sinks. Additionally, the bond aligns with California’s ambitious 30×30 campaign, supporting the state’s goal to conserve 30% of its land and coastal waters by 2030.

This November election, we urge support for this bond measure, as it represents a remarkable opportunity to advance California’s climate resilience and conservation efforts to protect the states irreplaceable native fish, wildlife and plant heritage—and enlists our most potent tool to fight climate change.

ICYMI

In case you missed it (ICYMI), here are some other exciting things PFT has been involved in lately!

PFT President Laurie Wayburn was quoted in this Bloomberg article about how late-blooming vegetation can cause increased wildfire risk in California.

Have you read the latest issue of our biannual print newsletter, ForestLife, yet? In it, we’ve got a great array of articles, from a heartwarming profile of the Willow-Witt Ranch, to the ins and outs of conservation easements as properties change ownerships. There’s something for everyone—don’t miss it!

A recent Redding Searchlight article on a Shasta County Land Back transaction cites our Shasta Timberlands easement as a major project advancing conservation in the area.