Current Condition

The current condition of the Preservation Ranch property

1. 
   An areas stocked with conifers but with tanoak dominating the site - slated to be restored

   It is split into many existing parcels (160+). While these are legal parcels created decades ago, they were conveyed for the convenience of prior owners without the benefit of contemporary land use policies, environmental review or impact mitigation. As a result, the Property is currently inconsistent with the Sonoma County General Plan, is fragmented from a resource standpoint, and given California’s and Sonoma County's growing population is subject to development on its many existing parcels unless economically viable land uses are created to supplement forestry.
2. The timber resource is depleted. Over the last 60 years, the Property was aggressively over harvested by previous owners, leaving the productivity of the forest resources in a depleted condition. Much of the area that is capable of producing redwood and Douglas fir is now dominated by tanoak, a historically minor forest component.

3. 
   Tanaok dominating a conifer site, with extremely high horizontal fuel loading due to continuous dense canopy. This represents an extreme fire risk

   The fish and wildlife habitat is damaged. Historical logging of the Property by previous owners has left a dense forest of small trees that lack canopy structure and therefore provide minimal habitat value for wildlife species. Although portions of the road system have recently been stabilized, for the past 60 years the extensive logging road network has been a significant source of sediment that has contributed to declines in water quality and associated fish habitat.
4. Fire risk is significant. Due to previous owners' aggressive over logging in the past, the current forest is comprised of dense, young even-age stands of trees.This increases the risk of catastrophic wildfires, as fire has the opportunity to travel both from the ground to the crowns of trees and then across the crowns themselves. In addition, this density reduces tree vigor and forest health which increases fire risk.
5. Carbon storage is reduced. Due to past aggressive logging of the Property by previous owners, significantly less carbon is now being stored compared to the Property’s productive potential.