Supporting Forest Restoration and Conservation in CA’s Budget

Forest landowners, NGOs, and Land trusts joined us to call for an increase in funding for forests in California’s budget. The following letter calls on the Governor Jerry Brown and the legislature to fund both short-term restoration activities as well as long-term conservation measures to ensure our forests remain healthy and intact.

May 31, 2016

Governor Jerry Brown
c/o State Capitol, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 95814

Dear Governor Brown, Legislators, and Staff:

We represent a broad spectrum of forest land owners and conservation organizations writing to urge you to support increased funding for forest conservation as well as forest health investments.

California’s forests are an invaluable resource; they store carbon, provide a variety of timber products and rural employment, and support myriad plants, fish and wildlife. Healthy, intact, and enduring forests are essential to meeting the state’s goals for rural economic development, water resource protection, recreation, habitat conservation and climate resilience.

Yet, our forests face many threats ranging from fires to fragmentation to conversion. Given these numerous pressures, there is a vital need for both immediate restoration and long-term forest sustainability. These two objectives are complementary and synergistic, achieving resilient forests that endure and produce benefits for the long-term.

We commend the recent increases in forest-related funding or potential funding—from the GGRF, SRA, Proposition 1, and AB 1492. It is heartening to see increasing recognition of the value of forests. There have been a number of proposals for funding pressing near-term forest health and public safety needs, and these should be complemented by increases in working forest conservation.

Funding for long-term forest conservation is plummeting. Funds from Propositions 12 and 84 and are almost entirely expended. Conservation easements on private forestland are the most cost effective, proven mechanism for both preventing land use conversion and guiding the management of resilient forests for the future. Easements are a serious commitment by landowners to future generations; precipitous swings in funding such as face us now can have serious impacts on landowners, as well as the public that benefits from such investments in conserving productive forests.

We agree that funding for both immediate forest health and forest conservation is vital. We urge a balanced approach to investing public funds in forests for public benefits, ensuring long-term public benefits are achieved as well as addressing urgent short-term crises, such as forest health.

Sincerely,

Laurie Wayburn
Co-founder, Co-CEO, and President
Pacific Forest Trust

Peter Stein
Managing Director
Lyme Redwood Forest Company

Cherida Collins Smith
Chairman
The Collins Companies

Chris Larson
President and Chief Executive Officer
New Island Capital

Gary Hendrix
Phillips Family Tree Farm

Charll Stoneman
President
Forest Landowners of California

Blair and Susan Hart
Hart Ranch

Peter Miller
Senior Scientist
Natural Resource Defense Council

Kim Delfino
California Program Director
Defenders of Wildlife

Marty Coleman-Hunt
Executive Director
Bear Yuba Land Trust

Anne Murphy
Executive Director
Shasta Land Trust