FOREST FLASH September 2022
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.
“Pacific Forest Trust has a world-class reputation for developing fresh solutions to help sustain our essential forests. I’m thrilled to be a part of a team so relentlessly committed to turning the tide of climate change.”
Pacific Forest Trust is delighted to announce the appointment of new Board Member Andy Nordhoff of Portland, Oregon. With an early love of forests from playing in the woods, Andy developed a passion for protecting forests while also working with corporations to advance their environmental sustainability. Now Senior Manager of PR and Communications at Columbia Sportswear, Andy brings his expertise in communications and marketing to PFT in a critical time, as we ramp up our efforts to stem the impacts of climate change through leveraging the power of forests as a natural climate solution. In his downtime, Andy can usually be found exploring the woods with his family near their home. Please join us in welcoming Andy to PFT!
Photo credit: Brendan White/USFWS
Photo credit: Pete Schroeder, Southern Oregon University
While the magnificence and peace we feel in the presence of big, old trees can lure one into thinking that the woods are a quiet place, forest denizens are always busy, and none more so than its’ myriad species of bees. Bees play a crucial role in forests and their interwoven meadows, pollinating understory plants, as well as many tree species. But as with many bee species worldwide, forest bees are in trouble. The Franklin’s Bumblebee (Bombus franklini, recently approved for protection under California’s Endangered Species Act, as well as federally) is one of these, and PFT has several properties that are historic and potential habitat for the Franklin’s Bumblebee. Restoration and management for these forest meadow-dependent bees is one focus for our Mt. Ashland Demonstration Forest, as well as several conserved properties in northern California, including the Trinity Headwaters. Complementing our work to ramp up protection of large forest landscapes and whole watersheds, we are keeping our attention also on the small beings that often run the world and always keep it a place of wonder. You can help us conserve and restore these critical habitats by donating here.
The ongoing drought that has gripped the West has helped many people understand the vital importance of nature’s water manager, the beaver (Castor canadensis), in regulating our water supply, as well as reducing wildfire impacts and providing critical habitat for many fish. But beavers have been extirpated from much of their home range in California, with a resulting drop in groundwater supply, rivers running low-to-out-of water in the summer, and the loss of vital fish habitat. So, we celebrated mightily upon seeing the return of beavers to one of our conserved properties in the headwaters of the Feather River above the Sierra Valley.
The Feather River supplies the Oroville reservoir, which forms the core supply for the State Water Project, and the Sierra Valley is North America’s largest alpine wetland. PFT has protected five properties and nearly 4,500 acres in the Sierra Valley (including the first conservation easement completed in the Valley at Valley View Angus Ranch), recognizing its importance for water, as well as wildlife. Help us help beavers by donating here!
Give with confidence. Charity Navigator awarded Pacific Forest Trust a perfect score in finance and accountability.