April 2023
This tree is an example of how harvest (trees removed for a variety of uses and benefits) and retention trees (trees left as part of an operation) are marked in the forest. The orange paint marks a permanent retention tree, and the blue paint is a harvest tree. The dot of paint at the base of the tree provides accountability to show that the operation is according to plan.
DEMONSTRATION: An Adaptive Approach to Forest Management - Red Tail Harvest Plan Updates

The Red Tail Timber Harvest Plan (THP) is a recent timber recent plan that has undergone changes to ensure the protection of potential elder trees. Based on feedback from a wide array of community members, scientists, environmental groups, and local Tribal leaders, the State outlined a new blueprint for managing JDSF that balances the requirements of state law with current state climate goals, opportunities for Tribal co-management, and restoration economies. In accordance with this vision, several operational changes were made to the Red Tail THP. Learn more about the Red Tail plan and the protection of potential elder trees below.
Fulfilling one of the main purposes of the Demonstration State Forest System, JDSF's new Flux tower will become part of an international research network that is helping to better understand forests, weather, and climate change around the globe.
RESEARCH: New Tower Furthers the Important Role of Innovative Climate Research and Monitoring at JDSF

New technology is coming to JDSF! With the installation of a flux tower and the cooperation of a multiagency team, researchers will be able to gather continuous measurements of how much carbon, water, and energy are entering and leaving an ecosystem over time. The new tower will also monitor how changes in weather are affecting the health of an ecosystem. Long-term, the tower can estimate how climate change is affecting an ecosystem.

This is the first time a flux tower has been installed in California’s redwood forest ecosystem, joining a national network of towers across an enormous variety of forest types to provide critical climate change and forest health information. Learn more about this important research project by following the link below.
Understanding and scientifically classifying old-growth forests across the U.S. is important to their conservation and research. New federal efforts seek to better understand and protect old-growth forests.
DEMONSTRATION: Defining Mature and Old Growth Forests

Mature and old-growth forests provide an invaluable suite of benefits to society, ranging from spiritual and recreational value to critical habitat and carbon storage. With Executive Order 14072, President Biden initiated an exercise to define, identify, and inventory mature and old-growth forests on our public lands. This move by the administration presents a terrific opportunity to conserve our forests through science-driven policy.

Old-growth forests look dramatically different from coast to coast, state to state, and forest to forest. For instance, old-growth sequoia groves on the West Coast can be thousands of years old with trunk diameters of more than 30 feet and heights more than 250 feet, while an old-growth forest of pitch pine in the Northeast may include 300-year-old trees that never reach heights over 16 feet. Learn more about how healthy old-growth forests by following the link below.
An often-overlooked component of the forest ecosystem: fungi's symbiotic relationship with the forest is key to the cycle of life at JDSF.
Fungi in the Forest – How Fungi Work and Why They Are Important to the JDSF Ecosystem

Join JDSF Biologist Robert Douglas in exploring the amazing world of Fungi at JDSF! Fungi compromise a diverse kingdom of organisms that provide numerous ecological services and are key players in decomposition and nutrient cycling in ecosystems across JDSF and the world. The coastal redwood ecosystem is host to a diversity of fungi. Maintaining a diversity of tree species across the forest, and in sufficient quantities and spacing post-harvest, ensures that fungi exist in the soil to support forest regeneration and ecosystem resilience. We took a deep dive into fungi, how they work, and how they live in the forest. Learn more below.
NEWS
Celebrate Earth Day with a Juvenile Salmon Survey Tour at JDSF

Curious about the life cycle of the salmon of the Little North Fork Noyo River? Join forest research partners for a juvenile salmon survey in the redwoods, Saturday, April 22, 10 AM to 2 PM at JDSF Camp 1. Staff will be showing how data and monitoring is carried out in the forest as well as sharing the story behind several tools of the trade. Registration is free but required. Learn more and register below.
Mendocino and JDSF Staff Present Forest Updates to the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection 

At the most recent Board of Forestry and Fire Protection meeting on April 5, CAL FIRE Mendocino Unit Chief Luke Kendall and State Forest Program Manager and Acting JDSF Forest Manager Kevin Conway presented the latest JDSF updates. This included the timeline of updates to the forest management plan as well and updating the Board on recent activities in the forest and community, stakeholder, and tribal outreach. 
 
Click on the video above to view the JDSF presentation. To learn more about the Board of Forestry and the role it plays in protecting and enhancing California’s unique forest and wildland resources, follow the link below.