Why Forest Care?
A new approach to protecting and maintaining our community forests
In an undisturbed forest ecosystem, natural forces such as fire, insects, disease and drought regulate the number of trees. Over the past hundred years, this natural balance
has been disturbed as communities of people have moved into the forest for it's serenity and majesty.
Understandably, these new forest residents wanted to protect the homes and businesses they built. Their response was to implement fire protection policies that allowed the forest to grow unchecked. A century of fire suppression has yielded a dense, overstocked forest that has become not only an enormous fire risk, but also threatens the future of the forest itself.
A healthy forest can resist attacks of pests and recover from fires. Much of the forest in which we now live has more than 400 to 500 trees per acre. By contrast, a healthy forest has no more than 50 to 150 mature trees per acre.
How Does Forest Care Help?
Fortunately, the solution is in our hands. Forest Care allows us to do our part for the forest by thinning the trees to healthier levels they would have attained naturally.
Forest Care sets standards for thinning the trees on your property to more natural densities. This includes the removal of low undergrowth that can act as a ladder for flames, thus preventing fire from leaping into the forest canopy.
A licensed professional forester will work with you to develop a plan for thinning the trees on your property contributing to a healthier, more fire adapted forest while retaining the beautiful wooded atmosphere you love. Forest Care will then reimburse up to 75% of the cost of implementing your plan.