History of Use
The Preservation Ranch property has had many uses, many of them harmful to the habitat, forest resource and environment:
- From 1876 to 1940 the Property was comprised primarily of separate homesteader claims, with many acres of land cleared for orchards, cattle and sheep grazing and with limited timber harvesting.
- Beginning in 1940, mechanized clear cut logging began in earnest, with environmental protections nowhere near as comprehensive as they are today.
- In its history, the forest has been completely cut-over at least twice and some areas have been harvested as many as four to five times.
- Unmanaged clear cutting used very aggressive harvesting techniques, removing as much wood from the forest as possible without consideration for long-term sustainability of the timber resource.
Now, the forest is in a depleted condition with degraded timber stand quality, poor wildlife habitat, a high fire risk, a disproportionate stocking of small diameter tanoak, and many immature conifers.
