Big River and Salmon Creek forests
- Type
- Sustainable forestry
- Location
- Mendocino, CA
- Project by
- The Conservation Fund
Comprising 16,000 acres of working Redwood and Douglas fir forest in northern California, the Big River and Salmon Creek project reforms forest management practices on land purchased from a logging company by a consortium of conservation groups. Permanently protecting this ecosystem from fragmentation, development, and conversion to non-forest use, this project also manages the land to ensure increasing carbon sequestration.
Carbon offset generation
By changing from traditional logging practices to conservation-oriented forest management, the forest is allowed to grow more quickly and retain an increased quantity of above- and below-ground biomass, pulling carbon from the atmosphere more quickly and locking it in larger forest carbon reserves for longer durations.
Read more about how carbon offsets are created
Non-carbon benefits
Beyond fighting climate change, this new forest management regime carries major benefits for biodiversity and local communities. Restored riparian buffers improve water quality for Coho salmon and Steelhead trout, and increased habitat complexity and forest density improve habitat for Northern Spotted owls and threatened terrestrial species. As a working forest, it continues to provide sustainable logging jobs in the local community.
Project additionality
As certified under the CAR standard, the loan that financed the purchase of this land would not have occurred without the promise of revenue from offset sales.