La Honda Creek Preserve Forest Health Project

Highlights

This video highlights restoration forestry projects in the Santa Cruz Mountains and beyond completed by our partners at Save the Redwoods League, Sempervirens Fund, California State Parks and Peninsula Open Space Trust. It is a recording of a presentation given to Midpen's board of directors in July 2021.

Restoration Forestry Science

Current science shows us that diversity of age, species, size and genetics of trees are key to forest resilience and survival. Mature forests are spatially diverse with trees standing together and individually interspersed with fallen logs and natural openings.

Selectively removing some small trees in formerly logged forests can accelerate tree growth by reducing competition for sunlight and water, putting the forest on a path to return more quickly to mature, old-growth conditions.

Selective Thinning is One Forest Health Strategy

Selectively removing some small trees in formerly logged stands is a restoration forestry technique that has been successfully used by Midpen’s conservation partners in the region and is proposed as part of Midpen’s La Honda Forest Health Project. Thinning from below also reduces ladder fuels to increase wildland fire resiliency. This strategy can accelerate tree growth by reducing competition for sunlight and water, putting the forest on a path to return more quickly to mature, old-growth conditions.

Using Timber Harvest Plans for Conservation Projects

In order to implement this strategy, Midpen will develop an environmental review with public agencies and the interested public, and a subsequent permitting process with regulatory agencies to create a timber harvest plan that guides the restoration project. These plans are prepared by registered professional foresters and detail site-specific treatments for each forest stand to achieve desired ecological outcomes. The process for creating these plans typically takes two years with CAL FIRE as the lead agency and includes a robust public process and inspection from local, state and federal agencies prior to approval.

In some cases where feasible and ecologically beneficial, removing selectively thinned trees from the forest can reduce fuels for potential wildland fire while keeping the stored carbon intact. While most selectively thinned trees would be too small to have any commercial value, if such trees could be used as building materials, Midpen’s forest management policies require that any funds generated would be put directly back into supporting the forest restoration project.

Forests: A Powerful Tool for Climate Change Resilience

Forests actively clean the air and store carbon. Mature redwoods capture and store more carbon per acre than any other tree or plant. The trees in the La Honda Creek Preserve project area contain approximately 440,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. They sequester approximately 16,500 metric tons of carbon each year, equivalent to avoiding the emissions of 3,600 cars driven in one year. The proposed project would increase carbon storage and sequestration over time by accelerating the growth of redwood trees.

Adaptive Management

By using control plots and measuring tree-stand structure and soil changes, Midpen can make any needed adjustments to subsequent work stay on track to reach this project's larger restoration goals.