Project: Garcia River Forest

The Garcia River Conservation-Based Forest Management Project increases sequestration and storage of carbon in a native redwood forest while restoring wildlife habitat.

The nonprofit Conservation Fund purchased the Garcia River Forest in 2004 and established the first large nonprofit-owned working forest in California.

Located in the heart of the Redwood region of California’s North Coast, Garcia River is recognized by the California Department of Fish and Game as a high priority for protection and recovery of the state and federally-listed endangered Coho Salmon and Steelhead Trout. The property also supports Northern Spotted Owl and numerous other rare plants and animals.

By preventing forest loss through a permanent conservation agreement held by The Nature Conservancy and managing working forests to enhance forest carbon stores, the project achieves considerable gains in carbon sequestration relative to business-as-usual practices.

The project is registered with the Climate Action Reserve under its Forest Project Protocol. Emission reductions produced by the project are verified by an approved third-party and registered with the Climate Action Reserve. The registered reductions are then issued as Carbon Reduction Tons (CRTs) in the Climate Action Reserve’s registry and tracking system. Annual verification is conducted to measure the growth of carbon stocks in the forest.