ISF promotes forest management that contributes to the long-term ecological and economic well being of forest-based communities in north-western California and beyond. ISF's main programs are forest and watershed stewardship, community economic development, and sustainable forestry certification support. Through collaborating with other non-profits, Resource Conservation Districts, State Agencies, and the UC Forestry Extension Services office, ISF promotes landscape-level restoration, sustainable forestry, and the economic viability of community-based forest product businesses throughout northwest California and southern Oregon. ISF workshops include wildlife enhancement, non-timber forest products, creek restoration, and road maintenance. In addition, ISF is working with Humboldt State University's Forestry and Natural Resource programs in helping to design and facilitate academic research that is meaningful and useful to forest practitioners. Over the past year ISF completed fuel load reduction projects in three north coast watersheds and evaluated the feasibility and profitability of the utilization of project by-products such as biomass energy production, mushroom cultivation, and small diameter timber.


December, 2003 Update
ISF has recently finished a biomass utilization project funded by the USDA Forest Service. The project culminated in a forum at the Mateel Community Center on September 24, 2003. At the forum, experts shared valuable information on the utilization of biomass for energy. (read more)

Community-based Forestry: A Dream Delayed: Usal Redwood Forest Easement Challenged
August 11, 2011

For many of us Mendocino Redwood Company's (MRC) ongoing effort to question the Wildlife Conservation Board's (WCB) use of state bond funding to support conservation easements on working forests has been puzzling. They present their positions as held for the sake of California taxpayer, for--the sake of achieving ecological objectives, and even for the sake of healthcare for children. Yet there are many opportunities to exercise such concerns. Why is MRC focusing so closely on the WCB process? And why only at the times when local conservation interests are soliciting funding from the WCB? (read more)


Community-based Forestry: Community Forestry and Upslope Forest Restoration
November 16, 2010
In a recent article for the Trees Foundation newsletter, Forest & River News, I focused on one aspect of restoring North Coast forests to something approximating historic levels of forest health and productivity: the financial cost of delaying harvests for a generation or more as measured by a Discounted Cash Flow analysis. But, the cost of delayed harvests is only one cost of restoring or creating high conservation value forests populated with bigger, older trees. (read more)


Community-based Forestry: Discounting Future Forests
May 11, 2010
I'd like to draw your attention to one aspect of evaluating the economic feasibility of forest management focused on growing older, bigger trees: discounting future values. There will be some numbers involved. For some of you this will be overly simplistic, for others it may seem counter intuitive. And, of course, financial analysis will never capture all that we value in our forests. But, I hope you will bear with me. This is an important concept for understanding what it will take to increase inventories, stand ages and ultimately conservation values in working forests on the north coast. (read more)


Community-based Forestry: Redwood Transect--The Challenge and the Opportunity
December 18, 2009

Mike Fay and Lindsey Holm's recent transect through the redwood region resulted in a front page cover story in the October issue of National Geographic: "Redwoods--The Super Trees" by Joel Bourne. The article on the transect is fascinating. The companion pieces on HSU professor Steve Sillett's canopy research high in the remaining old growth groves and Mike Nichols' ground breaking photo of an (unnamed) old-growth tree both provide significant new perspectives on our understanding of redwood trees. But, Mike and Lindsey's trek provides us with a new perspective on our redwood forests. (read more)


Community-based Forestry: Carbon Comes of Age?
August 19, 2009
In past articles I have touched on the potential support that payments for ecosystem services can provide for community based forestry. (read more)


Community-based Forestry: Community Forestry and the Humboldt County General Plan
April 15, 2009

Last month the Institute for Sustainable Forestry, the Buckeye Forest Project, UC Extension, the Forest Guild, and Redwood Coast Rural Action together hosted the event "Future Forests II: Maintaining healthy and productive working forests on the North Coast." The coalition designed a two-day conference agenda addressing the current economic challenges facing the forest products industry, and non-industrial landowners in particular. FFII brought together a diverse audience including landowners, mill operators, foresters, managers of land trusts, conservation professionals, timber industry representatives, and environmental advocates. (read more)


The nations largest homebuilder says, "The housing market sucks." But what's that got to do with the environment?
April 24, 2007
For people considering how to minimize development, keep forestland in sustainable production, and maintain respect for conservation values in the forest landscape, the current housing market crisis is a wake-up call. There is also a great deal of discussion aboout Pacific Lumber (PL) Company's bankruptcy proceedings, yet there is little mention of the economic context in which the bankruptcy is taking place. We (read more)


Future Forests and the Concept of "Ecosystem Services": Institute for Sustainable Forestry on the Cutting Edge
April 5, 2006
At the Institute for Sustainable Forestry's Future Forests working session last fall, a broad cross-section of Humboldt County's forest stakeholders stopped talking about California's regulatory climate long enough to spend a day focused on a shared goal: to maintain a healthy and productive working forest landscape on the North Coast. Presentations at the session identified increasing land values as a serious economic challenge for owners and buyers hoping to manage forestland on a truly sustainable basis. As land values soar it is also more difficult for landowners to justify investments in sustainable forest management based solely on income from harvesting timber. (read more)


Institute for Sustainable Forestry
April 5, 2006
Nick's Interns (read more)


Institute for Sustainable Forestry: Future Forests on the North Coast
December 1, 2005
On October 27th a broad spectrum of over 60 forest advocates, landowners, professional foresters, conservation groups, timber companies, and forest practitioners gathered in Eureka, CA to discuss a shared goal: Maintain Healthy and Productive Working Forests on the North Coast. The Institute for Sustainable Forestry (ISF) organized the Future Forests working session in response to the impact of rising Humboldt County land values on the economic viability of maintaining large blocks of forestland for timber production, rural quality of life, and conservation values. (read more)


The Vision of Community Forestry Continues
September 20, 2005
In the beginning (read more)


Institute for Sustainable Forestry
April 4, 2005
In January 2005, the Institute for Sustainable Forestry signed an agreement with the Working Forest Group (*www.workingforestgroup.com*) to provide technical support for ISF on forest management and biodiversity conservation issues. Working Forest Group members Greg Blomstrom, Nick Brown, Richard Hart, Chris Maser, and Bill Wilkinson will enhance the capacity of ISF to provide technical assistance to forest managers and organizations in the Pacific Northwest and beyond. ISF and WFG intend to provide services to foresters, companies, and organizations that seek the highest standards of forest management, especially those that engage in regional efforts to develop watershed- and landscape-level solutions to forest management issues. (read more)


Institute for Sustainable Forestry
July 17, 2000

As the July sun warms the soil that sustains our gardens, the gardener?s challenge is to keep young plants watered even as new seeds go into prepared ground. As Institute for Sustainable Forestry (ISF) staff completes a series of community-based workshops and walks in the woods, the image of watering comes to mind: returning to water our community?s interest and commitment to sustainable forestry. At the same time, the ISF/SmartWood? team extends its reach throughout our region and the state, sowing new seed, while continuing to check the vigor of recent sprouts. (read more)


The Importance of Working Easements for North Coast Forests
North Coast forests can provide a wealth of products and services--from a variety of high quality wood products to clear running water, fish and wildlife habitat, and other ecosystem services. (read more)



Contact Information

Email: contact@newforestry.org
Web Site: www.newforestry.org
Phone: (707) 923-7004
P.O. Box 1580 Redway, CA 95560