Message from Stewardship Program

The Forest Stewardship Program is a federally-mandated program designed to encourage the long-term stewardship of private forestland, to assist landowners in improving their management of the land, and to establish a positive land ethic among forestland owners. The program provides technical and financial assistance to influence positive changes to forestland management, assists communities in solving common watershed problems, and helps landowners.

We do this in a number of ways. The Forest Stewardship Helpline (1-800-738-TREE) can answer questions and provide referrals on any forest-related topic (NOTE: the Helpline has a California focus). A quarterly newsletter, Forestland Steward, has information on topics of interest to landowners and others. There are programs that provide financial and technical assistance, demonstration projects, and a landowner curriculum. A calendar of natural resources events is updated regularly for information on conferences, workshops, and other programs for the public. The Forest Stewardship Coordinating Committee, made up of representatives of diverse interests, provides direction for the Stewardship Program.

State Forestland Statistics:

• Total Wildland Acres = 85 million
• Total forested acres = 40 million acres
• Privately owned = 12.3 million acres
• Public owned = 23 million acres, of which 17.9 million are national forest
• Forest Industry = 5 million acres

Links:

• California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
• California Forest Stewardship Program
• EPA: Global Warming Impacts on California
• The Nature Conservancy, California Chapter
• Western Forestry Leadership Coalition
• Sierra Nevada Land Protection Groups
• CERES, Califonia Environmental Resource Evaluation System
• CERES, California's Forests

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