Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) is the largest state forest in California at nearly 50,000 acres. It is located in the unceded ancestral Northern Pomo and Coast Yuki territory of the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians. Since its inception in 1947, the State has primarily managed this forest to cut it for profit, not preserve it. This state-owned forest is predominantly redwood, with remnant old-growth and some of the most significant large second-growth forest remaining in the State. Redwoods sequester and store more carbon than any other tree species, yet in the face of the current climate crisis, Cal Fire continues to log the forest for profit.
We advocate that the State of California:
Replace the current legislative mandate governing JDSF, which requires commercial logging, with a new mandate for forest restoration and preservation led by Traditional Ecological Knowledge.
Declare a moratorium on logging, road building, and herbicide use until a Tribal/State co-management agreement is approved, and a revised forest management plan reflecting Tribal and environmental concerns is in place.
Negotiate in good faith an equal co-management agreement of JDSF with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians.
Respect and Protect the ancestral cultural resources of the Northern Pomo and Coast Yuki Tribes including the entire cultural landscape of Sacred Sites, ancestral village sites and connecting trails.
Implement protections for JDSF that will conserve it in line with California’s 30 x 30 goal to preserve 30 percent of CA land and coastal waterways by 2030, while still allowing restoration and Tribal management.
(photos: Ongoing logging, road-building and herbicide use sanctioned by Cal Fire have seriously damaged the ancestral cultural resources of the Tribe and devastated this beautiful, bio-diverse ecosystem.)
