New Federal Report Spotlights Global Deforestation, Importance of Domestic Action

Deforestation hasn't rated very high on the U.S. political agenda since federal climate legislation stalled in 2010. But that doesn't mean forest loss—nor its climate damage—has stopped. We're still losing about 90,000 acres of forestland, along with its capacity to safely absorb and store greenhouse gases, every day around the world. Which is why it's encouraging to see that the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has released a report detailing the potential of forests to combat global climate change. Read more.

Durban Analysis: Half Empty, Half Full?

Reading the summaries of what happened in the early morning hours of the closing session of United Nation’s climate talks (COP 17) in early December leaves one baffled. Will the planet really get any better from all this? Fortunately forests continue as one of the key negotiation tracks still making progress. Get a deeper perspective from PFT Board Secretary Andrea Tuttle—a longtime observer and participant in international climate negotiations. Read more.

'A Bright Spot in Gloomy Times': San Francisco Chronicle Story Features PFT's Conservation Work

We're pleased to kick off 2012 by sharing a story that ran over the holidays about encouraging progress the Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) and other conservation groups are making in California. In "A Bright Spot in Gloomy Times," the San Francisco Chronicle reports on the silver lining of recent economic trends that have encouraged conservation rather than development. The story notes our recent success with the Bear Creek Working Forest Project, which was approved for $7.8 million in funding from California's Wildlife Conservation Board last month. Read more.

Featured Projects

Bear Creek Working Forest Project

Roseburg Resources Company and Pacific Forest Trust (PFT) are partnering in the Bear Creek Working Forest Project to create a working forest conservation easement on the company’s 8,230-acre tract in this watershed. Located in the PFT's Mt. Shasta Headwaters Conservation Area within the Klamath-Cascade region, this effort will complete the permanent conservation of the upper Bear Creek watershed, spawning grounds for the world-famous Fall River rainbow trout.

The Klamath-Cascade Initiative

California derives the majority of its water - nearly two-thirds - from the forested landscape of the Klamath-Cascade Region, a vast arc of almost 10 million acres encompassing the forested mountains of the Trinity Alps, Klamath, Cascade and Northern Sierra Ranges. The Region is critical to state drinking and agricultural water supplies. But few Californians realize how much they depend on Klamath-Cascade water and climate benefits - nor how at-risk those resources are. The Pacific Forest Trust is working to change that with the release of a comprehensive new report on the Region's resources and what must be done to safeguard them for future generations. "The Klamath-Cascade: California's Watershed in the Balance" provides history, insight and strategies for conserving and sustaining this landscape's wealth of forest resources: water, wood, wildlife, climate benefits, recreation and a community of land stewards that ensures forests can provide all those public benefits and more.