We want our legislators to understand California’s forests and how forest managers work to protect, protect, and sustain them. We know that legislators often have to make decisions based on information given to them rather than seeing issues in the field. Our forest tours give legislators an opportunity to experience all that our forests have to offer and gain firsthand insights into the importance of sustainable forest management.
Our legislative forest tours typically take place in northern California and vary in length from a same-day tour to a 2-day, 1-night trip. We invite registered professional foresters, scientists, landowners, and other timber/forestry industry representatives to speak on the critical issues that our forests face. Legislators are given demonstrations on the successes of different forest management practices, shown failures of forests that aren’t properly managed, presented with infrastructure challenges, shown wildlife diversity, briefed on environmental and ecological concerns, and more.
We hope that state-level decision makers and their staff leave these tours with an immense appreciation for the beauty and significance of our forests, but also that they understand the specific actions involved in protecting and sustaining our forests.