🌲 California Forest Revitalization Act
Healthy Forests • Good Jobs • Safe Communities
🔥 What's the Problem?
California's forests are sick. For over 100 years, we stopped all forest fires – even the small, helpful ones. This seemed like a good idea, but it made a big problem.
Now our forests have way too many trees packed together. A healthy forest has about 40-80 trees per acre. Many California forests now have 300 or more trees per acre! That's like stuffing 6 people into a small closet instead of spreading them around a room.
All these crowded trees fight for water and sunlight. They get weak and sick. Then when a fire starts, it burns super hot and destroys everything. These "mega-fires" are much worse than the natural fires that used to keep forests healthy.
🌳 Too Many Trees? How Is That Bad?
Overstuffed Forest (Now)
300+ trees fighting for space
Trees are weak and sick
Fires burn super hot
Everything dies
Healthy Forest (Goal)
40-80 strong trees
Trees have room to grow big
Small fires clean the floor
Forest stays alive
Think of it like a garden. If you plant tomatoes too close together, they all stay small and weak. But if you give them space, they grow big and healthy. Forests work the same way!
🏭 Where Did All the Sawmills Go?
Here's another problem: California used to have over 300 sawmills where workers turned trees into lumber. Now we have fewer than 30.
Losing sawmills also meant losing thousands of good jobs in small towns. Many rural communities that used to have busy mills are now struggling.
📋 Why Is It So Hard to Fix?
Right now, if a forest landowner wants to thin out sick trees, they have to get permission from the government. This can take over 12 months – sometimes years! By then, the forest might have already burned down.
❌ Current System
- 12+ months to get a permit
- Mountains of paperwork
- Forests burn while waiting
- Only treats tiny areas
✅ What This Law Does
- 30-45 days for approval
- Simple process for safe projects
- Treat forests before they burn
- Millions of acres can be helped
🗺️ The Three-Zone Plan
This law divides forests into three zones. Each zone has different rules based on what the forest needs:
🌲 Zone 1: Old-Growth Reserves (No Cutting)
These are our oldest, most special forests – trees that have been growing for hundreds of years. We protect them completely. No logging allowed, but Native American tribes can still do traditional burning to keep them healthy.
🏠 Zone 2: Community Protection Zones (Safety First)
These are forests near towns and homes. We work hard here to remove dead trees and brush that could let fires spread to houses. This is where we focus most on keeping people safe.
🪓 Zone 3: Working Forests (Careful Harvesting)
These forests can be thinned and harvested, but carefully. Workers must always keep at least 60% of the treetops covering the sky. No clear-cutting allowed – the forest stays a forest, just healthier.
🪶 Learning from Native Americans
For thousands of years before Europeans came, California's Native American tribes took care of the forests. They used small, controlled fires called "cultural burns" to keep forests healthy. They knew that fire wasn't bad – it was medicine for the land.
When people stopped these burns, forests got overgrown and fires got worse. This law says we should listen to tribal knowledge again.
What This Law Does:
- Tribal leaders help make decisions – They sit on the boards that run these programs
- Cultural burning is protected – Tribes can burn without as many rules getting in the way
- Tribes are equal partners – Not just advisors, but real decision-makers
- Money is set aside for tribes – 15% of the program's budget goes to tribal forestry programs
💼 Bringing Back Good Jobs
This law helps create thousands of jobs in rural communities:
Workers at these jobs must be paid at least 150% of minimum wage – that means real, family-supporting paychecks!
💰 How Do We Pay for This?
Good news: This does NOT use your tax dollars from the state's main budget! Instead, the program pays for itself through:
Forest Health Fee
Big landowners (500+ acres) pay $2 per acre per year to help keep forests healthy
Timber Processing Fee
Mills that want the tax benefits pay a small fee on the wood they process
Federal Cooperation Money
When we help take care of federal forests, we keep all the money from selling the wood
Carbon Credits
Healthy forests absorb pollution. Companies pay to plant trees that clean the air
🏭 What's "EcoPressboard"?
When we thin forests, there's lots of small branches, bark, and scraps left over. Instead of burning this stuff (which makes smoke and pollution), we can turn it into something useful!
EcoPressboard is like plywood made from forest scraps. It can be used for:
- Sound walls along highways
- Construction forms for concrete
- Temporary buildings
- Park benches and playground equipment
This law says California state projects must use EcoPressboard for at least half of these uses. That creates demand for the product, which creates jobs, which pays people to clean up forests. Everyone wins!
🛡️ Strong Environmental Protections
Some people worry that "streamlining" means cutting corners. But this law actually has stronger environmental rules than current law:
Bigger Stream Buffers
No cutting within 150 feet of streams (current law is less). Where salmon live, it's 200 feet!
Old Trees Protected
Zone 1 old-growth forests are completely off-limits to logging
Keep the Canopy
Must keep at least 60% of treetops – no clear-cutting allowed
No Pile Burning
By 2032, no more burning piles of scraps in the forest. Turn them into products instead!
👀 Who Makes Sure It's Done Right?
A special group called the Forestry Revitalization Oversight Commission watches over everything. They check that rules are followed and report to the public every year.
Who's on the Commission?
- 🪶 Tribal Representatives (3 people) – Making sure Native American voices are heard
- 🏘️ Rural Community Representatives (2 people) – Speaking for small towns
- 🌿 Environmental Representatives (2 people) – Protecting nature
- 👷 Labor Representative (1 person) – Looking out for workers
- 🏭 Industry Representative (1 person) – Understanding the business side
- 🔬 Scientist (1 person) – Making sure decisions are based on facts
- 🏠 Public Member (1 person) – A regular person from the community
🗺️ Starting in Northern California
This law starts in California's 2nd Congressional District – the counties of:
- Humboldt
- Mendocino
- Trinity
- Shasta
- Modoc
- Del Norte
These counties have huge forests, lots of fire danger, and lost many mills and jobs. They're perfect for testing this program. If it works well here, the ideas can help forests all across America!
📋 Quick Summary
Faster Permits
30-45 days instead of 12+ months to approve forest health projects
Three Zones
Protect the old trees, keep communities safe, carefully manage working forests
Tribal Partnership
Native Americans are equal partners in decision-making
Good Jobs
3,000+ new jobs in mills, forests, and related businesses
Pays for Itself
No new taxes – funded by fees and the value it creates
Stronger Protections
Bigger stream buffers, old-growth protection, no clear-cutting
🤔 Common Questions
Won't this hurt the environment?
No! Right now, overstuffed forests are hurting the environment. When mega-fires burn, they release huge amounts of carbon pollution and kill everything – trees, animals, fish in streams. Healthy, managed forests actually help the environment by storing carbon and providing homes for wildlife.
Is this just giving companies permission to cut down forests?
No. Companies must follow strict rules: keep 60% canopy cover, stay away from streams, never touch old-growth trees. The goal is healthy forests, not empty land. Plus, workers must be paid well and tribes must be consulted.
Why do we need sawmills? Can't we just leave trees in the forest?
When we thin forests, we have to put the trees somewhere. Without mills, the trees would just rot on the ground or get burned. Mills turn them into useful products and create jobs. It's better than wasting them!
What happens if the program doesn't work?
The law includes "sunset reviews" in Year 7 and Year 11. If the program isn't working, the Legislature can change it or end it. We're not locked in forever.
Vote YES on the California Forest Revitalization Act
November 2028 General Election
Healthy forests • Good jobs • Safe communities • Tribal partnership