Quarterly News:
Summer 2020
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IN THIS EDITION:
- New website!
- Forest Landowner's Stewardship Directory
- From a Forester: Seeing The Forest For The Trees
- Learn with us! Events, workshops, library
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New Forest Working Group Website!
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We've updated our website in a big way! We hope this new user experience on the web encourages landowners and managers to reach out to us, dive in to educational resources, sign up for events and sit back knowing we're here to help any time. The new
sonomaforests.org
features extensive educational resources, forestry news, peer support, landowner interest survey, blog, and more.
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Forest Landowner's Stewardship Guide
We've made it easy to find the right person for the job
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If you own forestland in Sonoma County, even as little as one acre, you have the
privilege of stewarding
some of the most beautiful and biodiverse landscapes in the nation. From rolling Oak-woodlands to Redwood canyons, from mossy bay dells to gorgeous Douglas Fir stands. These forests provide stunning vistas, enjoyable hikes, home for wildlife, wood for the fireplace, and so much more.
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This directory is designed to be a useful guide to forest landowners of all parcel sizes to find the professional help they need to achieve responsible forest management. With so many government resources, contractors and community programs available, it might be hard to know where to start. We’ve organized this guide by size of property and the activities these landowners typically engage in.
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"...Protecting forests across landscapes and through generations..."
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This is our mission. For over fifteen years, Sonoma County forest landowners and natural resource managers have been connecting through the Forest Working Group to discuss our forests' most challenging issues.
The Forest Conservation Working Group grew out of a meeting convened in February, 2005, by Sonoma Land Trust, to talk about the issue of unmanaged small, private parcels of forest in Sonoma County. This relatively small size of ownership creates parcels that are uneconomic for timber harvest or rangeland, historic uses of this land when it was in larger parcels. The general use at this time is ‘no-action’. To address this, we're focused on demonstrating and educating on forest restoration through management.
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We invite land managers to make a change:
- Educate themselves on forest management
- Make a forest management plan
- Work together, in community, to make a positive change
- Reap the benefits of sustainable stewardship
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Seeing the forest for the trees:
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A defense of active forest management
Jason Wells, Registered Professional Forester for Sonoma RCD
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"As a forester and native Petaluman, I’m proud to be a member of this community. It’s obvious to me that Sonoma County’s residents have the health and wellbeing of our incredibly diverse and beautiful northern California ecology at heart ...
One of my favorite things about living and working in Sonoma County is the general interest that residents here have for doing right by the land and doing right for the people that live here.
There is a long history of environmentalism in Sonoma County that should be praised, and it’s encouraging to know that I live in a place where people care about leaving a functional planet for future generations. With this mind, I know that my message may be contentious, but
I have faith in this community to hear me out: Our forests need more active management, and yes, that includes removing some trees."
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Education is our priority.
We are focused on making education and technical assistance readily available for forest landowners. Throughout the years, we have provided landowner education through these offerings:
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SPECIAL TOPIC “BROWN BAG” SEMINARS
These one-hour presentations take place during Members monthly meetings and focus on a variety of relevant topics such as wildfire safety, creekside vegetation management, and succession planning.
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FOREST STEWARDSHIP WORKSHOPS
All-day classes on-site cover the basic tenants of good forestland management. Topics include: forest ecology, roads, fisheries, fire safety, Sudden Oak Death, and conservation easements as a tool for family succession.
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HOUSE
MEETINGS
Invite educators from the Forest Working Group to come to your neighborhood for a “house meeting.” Neighbors can discuss their needs, possibilities and future options for forest management with the helpful advice of a forestry educator.
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Bay Area Prescribed Fire Council’s Summer Meeting: Burning in the Fog
July 8, 2020, 10am-4pm, Martin Griffin Preserve
Join prescribed fire professionals from throughout the greater Bay Area as we dive into the utilization of controlled burning and associated land treatments that are relevant in the coastal parts of the Bay Area.
Wednesday, July 8th will be filled with engaging presentations, local updates and engrossing conversations.
Topics will include: burning for Coastal prairie, cultural burning, Sudden Oak Death, Rx fire surrogates and more. Wednesday night will feature a professionally catered dinner, local band and roaring campfire under the stars. The Bay Area Prescribed Fire Council is a meeting point for Rx fire professionals, students, teachers, tribal members, researchers, land managers, fire fighters, regulators and the general public from throughout the greater Bay Area. At these intersections, we hope to facilitate dialogue and foster change, so that we might get more "good fire" on the ground.
More event information linked below. Find more prescribed fire education online at
Audubon Canyon Ranch
and the California Prescribed Burn Associations hub,
CalPBA.org
.
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Did It Work? How to monitor and evaluate project effectiveness
July 16, 2020, 11:30am-12pm, Online
"Brown Bag" Presentations
Join for a series of presentations by Forest Working Group members at the July Monthly Members meeting, discussing how they monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of projects such as prescribed burns, shaded fuel breaks and wildfire recovery efforts. Indicators such as bird presence, tree vigor and volume, and regeneration of understory plants tell land managers how the forest is responding post-treatment.
This presentation will take place at the end of the Monthly Members Meeting around 11:30am. All are welcome to join the full meeting as well as the Brown Bag presentation.
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UCANR
California Forest Stewardship Workshops
Various Fall 2020 dates, in-person or online
Register in advance!
This excellent workshop series from the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources Division will help landowners develop plans to improve and protect their forest lands in an ecologically and economically sustainable manner. The workshops will address management objectives and planning, forest restoration, fuels reduction, project development, permitting, and cost-share opportunities. Participants will connect with other landowners and learn how to collect information to develop their own management plans.
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Join the conversation. Become a member!
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Our membership is made of private and public landowners, nonprofit organizations and government agencies all working towards better stewardship of the land. Any forest landowner can join the Forest Working Group. It is meant to be an open-access resource to all.
The benefits of the Working Group network include participating in an on-going conversation with local forestry practitioners about the state of forestry and local forest properties. We discuss best practices, challenges, opportunities, advice and resources. We collaborate to achieve the greatest outcomes and solve problems we hold in common.
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We want to hear about you! What topics interest you? In what ways could we be helping you better?
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Your contribution means more workshops, outings and special speaker events designed to educate and connect forestland managers.
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Sonoma County Forest Conservation Working Group
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