Regional Milling Infrastructure Identified as Essential to Increasing Forest Health
In fall of 2022, Bay Nature Magazine published an article titled, “Logjam: The Supply Chain Problem That’s Keeping California From Preventing Catastrophic Wildfires on Private Land” by Jane Braxton Little outlining some of the issues and historical context preventing wider-spread fuel load reduction projects in California. As the article outlines, milling infrastructure is lacking to utilize the overly abundant timber available in our forests, which means that there isn’t economic incentive for forest owners to get our forests into healthier states.
Forestree Collective's work to re-vitalize milling at the historic G&S Mill in early 2023 will add infrastructure support to the many efforts underway across western Sonoma County with a focus on small diameter timber. We’ll utilize fuel load reduction logs in 6”-12” DBH to manufacture home good products. These are trees that would otherwise be off hauled, left onsite after chipping increasing surface fuels, or burned. Making furniture products from this type of timber converts it from a carbon release (when burned, chipped or via slow decomposition) to carbon storage and will create regional economic growth.
It’s an exciting time to be in the fold with the many great organizations and individuals working to solve the challenging bottlenecks preventing greater forest stewardship and management. Some of these organizations include Cal Fire, our local Resource Conservation Districts - Sonoma and Gold Ridge, US Forest Service, private landowners, Sonoma Ecology Center, Occidental Arts & Ecology Center, Fire Forward of Audobon Canyon Ranch, Cultural Fire, Tribal EcoRestoration Alliance, Regenerative Forest Solutions, Pepperwood Preserve, Shone Farm, UCCE Sonoma County, Santa Rosa Junior College, Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, and more who are all helping put together the programs and means for wider spread stewardship. There has never better more need or focus being placed on increasing forest stewardship across public and private lands and we believe that regional milling operations is one part of the solution.