Summer 2016 ForestLife
Restoring Flourishing Forests
After a wildfire passes, life returns in new and unexpected ways, as animals creep out of their hiding places, birds return to make new nests, and flowers—with their seeds often lying dormant for years—find life under the sun.
Forests are resilient and with time they can grow again. However, sometimes they need a little help. Two of our conserved working forests, Campstool Ranch and Goose Lake, were affected by recent wildfires. We’re collaborating with the landowners of each property to help with restoration and recovery.
CAMPSTOOL RANCH
In Calaveras County, California, people are still reeling from last September’s Butte Fire, which burned over 100 square miles. This was the fire that landowner Tim Lane spent his life dreading. When it hit, he found himself in the middle of it. Thanks to his brave work with the CAL FIRE crews, when this fire roared up the Calaveras River Canyon they stopped it on his property, Campstool Ranch.
In 2013, Tim and his family granted a Working Forest Conservation Easement to Pacific Forest Trust on this 2,170- acre property. While their homestead and others nearby were saved, two-thirds of their property burned. Undaunted, Tim got right to work with his forester and the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Last winter and spring, a logging crew removed many of the dead conifers, leaving other standing dead trees to provide shelter and homes for wildlife.
New life emerged this spring. The burned hillsides turned green with grass planted to prevent erosion. Many oaks began to re-sprout. And, acres of purple lupine dotted the ranch, volunteering to help restore the soil with nitrogen and prepare it for the planting of new trees.
The cycle of life continues.
GOOSE LAKE
This April, a crew of 50 hand-planted 712,000 seedlings, beginning the restoration of the Goose Lake Working Forest, which burned in the 2012 Barry Point Fire. When complete, this restoration project will span 35 square miles. The crews will continue planting this fall and again next spring.
This multi-year partnership between Collins and Pacific Forest Trust is supported by a diverse group of funders and partners—all united in the effort to restore productive timberland and jobs in Modoc County, California, as well as habitat for great grey owls, Rocky Mountain elk, and pronghorn antelope. The Wildlife Conservation Board, CAL FIRE, the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service generously matched Collins’ contributions to fund the restoration of this forest.
Prompt reforestation is critical to maintaining water quality and preventing erosion flowing into the Pit River Watershed, which is one of California’s primary sources of water for people and agriculture. The Working Forest Conservation Easement, gifted to Pacific Forest Trust by Collins as part of the reforestation project, will guide the property’s long-term management for generations to come.
More in this Issue of ForestLife
- President’s Letter: All Fired Up!
- Heritage & Pioneers – A profile of two supporters of Pacific Forest Trust, Harry and Charlotte Turner.
- Wildlife’s Modest Champion
- Pacific Forest Trust’s 2015 Annual Report
- Realizing the Vision for Conservation Across Boundaries
- Tree Mortality & Forest Resilience