PG&E Donates 2,500 Acres to Cal Fire for Forest Research

PG&E has donated more than 2,500 acres of land in Shasta, Nevada and Placer counties that will be incorporated into the state’s forestry research system.

PG&E donated the land to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire), which will use these properties to increase opportunities for forest research, restoration, and public recreation.

PG&E donated 2,500 acres to Cal Fire for the state’s demonstration forest research system. This parcel in eastern Shasta County was once a homestead.

The two properties, comprised of 2,246 acres along South Cow Creek in eastern Shasta County and 267 acres in the headwaters of the Bear River in Nevada and Placer counties, were acquired from PG&E consistent with the Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Stewardship Council’s recommendation to permanently conserve watershed lands to support a number of beneficial public values.

The lands donated to Cal Fire will be managed in partnership with the Shasta Land Trust and Bear Yuba Land Trust who now hold conservation easements on the properties. These conservation easements ensure that the scenic, open space, forest, wildlife habitat, recreation, and historic and cultural values are protected forever for the benefit of all Californians.

“PG&E is pleased to donate these lands, knowing this critical resource will forever be protected by the state and conservation easement holders and continue to be available for the enjoyment of future generations while fostering important forestry research,” said Mike Schonherr, a director in the PG&E power generation department and member of the Stewardship Council board of directors.

“The addition of the Cow Creek and Bear River properties to the Cal Fire Demonstration State Forest System is another exciting chapter in California state forest stewardship,” said Kevin Conway, Cal Fire’s state forest program manager. “These recently acquired acres have not been as extensively logged, and we’re excited to steward these areas for forest health, conservation and restoration, climate and fire resiliency, and the many other values that these special areas provide.”

This parcel, part of the donation, overlooks the Emerald Pools.

California’s demonstration state forests serve as a living laboratory for how to care for and manage California’s forest lands for multiple benefits — recreation, watershed protection, wood products and sustainable timber production, and habitat restoration — given a changing climate and increasingly severe and intense wildfire seasons.

Common activities on state forest lands include evaluating sustainable timber harvesting techniques that test current Forest Practice Rules, watershed restoration, a variety of university research projects and public recreation.

Adding these properties follows the 2019 acquisition of the North Fork Mokelumne River property comprised of 1,054 acres in Amador County. In total, Cal Fire will receive seven properties donated by PG&E by early 2023, bringing the total acreage of California’s demonstration state forest system to over 84,000 acres statewide.

In a 2003 bankruptcy settlement, PG&E agreed to permanently protect the beneficial public values on approximately 140,000 acres of watershed land associated with its hydroelectric generation facilities. In some cases, parcels would be donated to qualified entities.

In 2004, again, as part of the settlement, the Stewardship Council was established to work with public entities and nonprofit conservation organizations to ensure these acres of California’s pristine PG&E watershed lands in the Sierra Nevada, Cascades and North Coast Range were conserved in perpetuity for the public good.

To date, 23,819 acres have been donated to 15 entities in 36 transactions, all with conservation easements or equivalent protections. Another 45,692 acres of land retained by PG&E also have conservation easements secured.

For information about California’s demonstration state forests, visit: Demonstration State Forests (ca.gov)

For information about PG&E’s Land Conservation Commitment, visit www.pge.com/lcc

Email Currents at currents@pge.com.