August 2023
October 2022's prescribed burns, located in the Parlin area of JDSF, provided community members and forestry professionals multiple benefits, including training, research, and ecological restoration to name a few.
DEMONSTRATION: How CAL FIRE Plans Prescribed Burns at JDSF

Images of prescribed fire tend to focus on the day of the burn. Flames licking leaves and sunrays streaking through smoke make for great pictures. But the effort to organize a prescribed fire begins long before the torch is lit.

Prescribed fire at JDSF decreases surface fuels in strategic locations. Locations high on a ridge and close to accessible roads, mean that burns such as the one planned in the linked article, may play a role in future wildfire suppression efforts, and may serve as part of a control line for future, adjacent prescribed fires. The benefits to wildlife and to native plants are as undocumented as they are innumerable: ranging from expanding the size of nesting cavities, to providing patches of mineral soil vital for plant reproduction.
Reflecting nearly a century of stewardship, the Jackson Demonstration State Forest is a special place cherished by many. State Forest Management Plans are prepared by CAL FIRE with public input and brought to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for additional public input and final approval. The existing management plan was last approved in 2016 and is available on the JDSF website HERE.
Have Your Voice Heard: JDSF Forest Management Plan Comments Can be Made Until September 8 

The public is invited to comment on the proposed scope of work to review the JDSF forest management plan. Comments can be submitted to [email protected] through 5 PM on Friday, September 8, for consideration and discussion at the next Jackson Advisory Group meeting. The public is also welcome to attend this and any upcoming Jackson Advisory Group meeting to be a part of the discussion in person at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Bragg starting at 9 AM. An agenda will be distributed no less than 10 days in advance. If you do not receive these notices and would like to, please contact us at [email protected] to be added to the distribution list.

Sharing the draft scope of work with the Jackson Advisory Group and public is the first of many opportunities for public engagement. Once the final scope of work is developed, a Request for Proposal will be released to engage qualified consultants who will lead the process of developing a new plan. The scope of work envisions 15 public meetings to solicit community and stakeholder input along with 3 meetings focused on tribal engagement. Each will focus on various important resources (e.g. wildlife, carbon, etc.) or activities (sustainable forestry, recreation, etc.). Proposed meeting locations include Fort Bragg, Ukiah, and Sacramento to reach diverse audiences and viewpoints. The final plan will be presented to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection for consideration through an additional public process.
The large kiosk at Camp 20 had been damaged from years of vandalism and weathering. As part of ongoing upgrades, the kiosk was sanded and stained with several new boards replaced. This gives Camp 20 a fresh new look. 
RECREATION: Rejuvenating Recreation Facilities – Current and Future Projects Underway at JDSF 
 
Recreation is part of what makes Jackson Demonstration State Forest and Fort Bragg a destination location not only for people within the Mendocino community but for many travelers from far and wide. This could be for hiking, biking, or horseback riding on the miles of roads and trails traversing JDSF’s 48,652 acres of forest. The staff who support these opportunities work diligently to maintain all aspects of JDSF’s recreational opportunities and this is not an easy task.
NEWS:
Quarterly Jackson Advisory Group (JAG) meeting set for Friday, September 15 

The third of four scheduled JAG meetings in 2023 is set for Friday, September 15 at the First Presbyterian Church in Fort Bragg starting at 9 AM. An agenda will be posted on the JDSF website and JDSF Facebook at least 10-days prior to the meeting. A field tour will follow the seated part of the meeting to review the proposed pyrosilviculture timber harvesting plan which will use prescribed fire to select harvest trees and retain those that are most fire resilient.

The mission of the JAG is to provide advice/recommendations to CAL FIRE and the Board of Forestry regarding issues relevant to the periodic review of the JDSF Management Plan required under Board policy, ongoing implementation issues, and policy matters relevant to JDSF.
Adaptive Management Tour Series Begins September 8

Join JDSF and University of California Cooperative Extension staff for a series of field conversations about continual improvement at JDSF. The concept of Adaptive Management has been around since the late 1970s. It has been much debated and much improved, along the way gaining alternative names such as course correction, iteration, feedback loops, and complexity aware design. Each adaptive management tour will focus on a different aspect of JDSF management that has received renewed focus as part of the CAL FIRE’s Modernization Vision.

The first tour in this series will be on September 8, from 10 AM - 2 PM and will focus on restoration at the forest and integrating the provision of large wood to restoration partners into sustainable timber harvest at JDSF. A research-focused tour will follow on November 3 and a recreation-focused tour will also take place in December.
Casper Classic Mountain Bike Race Returns to JDSF on September 3 

Save the date for this year’s edition of the Casper Classic Mountain Bike Race! Sunday, September 3 of Labor Day weekend is the race day with the same fun 10(ish)-mile course through the forest as last year. Race start is 10 AM. Bring the family out to coast and have some fun!