The redwood forests along California’s North Coast are some of the most iconic forests in the United States. Although the region is known for its raw beauty and rich diversity of wildlife, decades of aggressive harvesting, changing timber owners and encroaching development have diminished its landscapes — and taken a heavy toll on the spotted owls, salmon and other species that call it home.

What We’re Doing

At The Conservation Fund, we believe that working forests can be financially self-sustaining and environmentally healthy. As a nonprofit landowner, we’re demonstrating a new way to manage these famous forests that uses both sound environmental strategy and sound economics — including a “light-touch” harvest regimen, sales of carbon offsets and a supply of local jobs. We work with our partners to skillfully manage both forest growth and harvest to ensure that these forests remain viable ecosystems for generations to come. Our North Coast forests meet two of the most comprehensive standards for forest management, set by the Sustainable Forestry Initiative® and the Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC-C001535). Explore our work over the last several years through a selection of in-depth reports on the North Coast Reference Documents page.

Why This Project Matters

Since 2004, we have owned and managed more than 74,000 acres of forests on California’s North Coast: Buckeye, Garcia River, Big River, Salmon Creek and Gualala River forests. In addition to restoring the forests’ watersheds and supporting local economies, these efforts fight climate change. Our forest properties were among the first and largest to receive verification as a source of greenhouse gas reductions under the protocols of the Cap and Trade Project Protocol. These projects have now transitioned to the California Air Resources Board Compliance Offset Protocol, U.S. Forest Projects.