Forest Restoration
Planting over 1 million trees to restore the forest
The Preservation Ranch property was clearcut logged at least twice in the past leaving a depleted timber resource and a damaged wildlife habitat. Preservation Ranch proposes to plant over 1 million trees in an ambitious restoration effort to improve the health and productivity of the forest.
Our restoration goals are to:
- Create a more healthy, fire resistant and diverse forest with more conifers
- Improve wildlife and fisheries habitat
- Increase carbon storage to help fight global warming
Restoration will take place in two steps, over a 3 to 5 year period:
- Managing competing tanoak vegetation (which has grown explosively after past clearcut logging) to increase growing space for conifers.
- Replanting the site with native conifers including Douglas fir, redwood and sugar pine.
After restoration, the forest will consist mostly of conifers with larger, more widely spaced trees and a look more similar to the forest that existed before the area was settled.
Forest without restoration, after 50 years. Note high level of tanoak (rounded yellow trees)
Forest with restoration, after 50 years. Note the greater number of large conifer trees particularly redwood (pointed lighter green trees)
