Community forests, a novel idea right here in our own backyard

In the mid-20th Century, the City of Arcata purchased 622 acres of redwood forest and created the first city-owned forest in California. The current 2,350-acre Arcata Community Forest has a multiple use management plan that focuses on recreation, timber management, and watershed values, among other things. The forest provides tremendous aesthetic value and numerous recreational opportunities to the City of Arcata.

In the late 1990s, the Bureau of Land Management considered a land trade that could have compromised the town of Weaverville’s scenic surroundings. Driven by an appreciation for the forests surrounding their town, the residents of Weaverville sought to be included in the decision-making process. With considerable persistence, the Trinity County Resource Conservation District was able to gain a seat at the same table as the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Forest Service. The ensuing partnership enabled the collective management of 13,000 acres of land surrounding Weaverville in the form of a community forest.

The concept of community-based forestry has been around for several decades, but recently, land ownership changes, increasing regulations, and a decline in the timber industry have forced rural forested communities to think outside the box. In places such as Arcata and Weaverville, this thinking has allowed profits from surrounding forests to be invested right back into local forest land. For the residents of fire-prone Weaverville, this could mean projects ranging from fuel reduction to lower the risk of fire around town, or the creation of more trails for skiing, biking, or walking. Such projects can be funded by community forest firewood sales or timber sales.

So, what are community forests and why are they any different than other forms of forest management? Community forests are part of the community-based forestry movement that encourages everybody to get involved in local forest management. Although stakeholders- from commercial foresters to private landowners to environmental organizations to local, state, and federal agencies- often have conflicting goals, community-based forestry can bring stakeholders together because it promotes forest health and it benefits the local economy.

The advantage of a community forest is that it provides things the community itself identifies as priorities, such as biomass generation, firewood sales, education opportunities, and improved trail systems and access roads. With all of the stakeholders engaged and working toward common goals, community forests provide tangible positive examples of the benefits of collaboration.