The forested property will eventually be transferred to Sonoma County.
photo credit: Amaray Alvarez Looking towards the forested property bounded by Neeley Road,
Mays Canyon Road, the Bohemian Grove and the Russian River.
224 acres of redwood forest near Guerneville won’t be logged. That's after a small group of local activists filed a lawsuit against CalFire.
KRCB’s Amaray Alvarez headed west to check out the forest known as the Russian River Redwoods and files this report.
[the sound of cars going by]
That’s traffic from State Route 116 between Guerneville and Monte Rio. The mostly second-growth redwood forest in question is right in the middle of a busy residential and recreational area.
It’s on the south side of the Russian River, wrapping around Vacation Beach and Edendale. The river flows below with people tubing and kayaking. Houses and cabins perch on both sides of the highway. On the other side of the river, the forest of redwoods and Douglas firs stretches out.
After a few years of legal battles, a suit has been dropped against CalFire. The state agency had approved a logging plan put forth by the company Redwood Empire, owned by the Roger Burch family trust.
In a 2021 Press Democrat story, the owners maintain the forest is “overstocked and badly in need of thinning to promote the growth of larger trees and reduce excess fuels."
It’s a touchy subject---with public comment saying the logging plan is reasonable and needed---and opposing it is why “California continues to burn.”
But according to the Guerneville Forest Coalition, the Silver Estates timber harvesting plan could have wreaked havoc on the forest, the Russian River itself, homes in the area and local tourism.
Environmental attorney Edward Yates represents the coalition.
"This is a fantastic win. Not only did we get them to stop from logging, but now the area will be protected in eternity," Yates said. "This area is very touristic. A lot of people spend their lives working here based in the tourism industry, like kayaking and cycling groups."
The coalition describes itself as a small group made of local residents and businesses who wanted to protect the forest.
"Perhaps one of the most important things is this will protect the Clar Tree, which is the oldest and tallest tree in Sonoma County," Yates said. "It's 278 feet tall and it's 2, 000 years old."
The forest is also habitat for coho salmon who live in the Russian River, listed as endangered by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.
After a Sonoma County judge stopped any further logging on the property in 2023, Redwood Empire sold the land between Neeley Road, Mays Canyon Road and the Bohemian Grove to the Save the Redwoods League.
The League says over 2000 donors from around the country helped to raise enough to cover the $6.5 million dollar sale price. The Federated Indians Graton Rancheria kicked in half a million.
"We were able to really capitalize on that excitement and reach out not only to the league's donors that we’re constantly working with, but really to the entire community," said Jeff Stump, land protection manager with Save the Redwoods League.
He said he thinks it’s remarkable that a tree as large as the Clar Tree survived.
"We don't know why, but we're really fortunate that that survived because it's this iconic reminder of what we once had and really what we can have in the future," Stump said.
Yates and the Guerneville Forest Coalition said it’s now dropping its lawsuit against CalFire. And that the Russian River Redwoods will eventually be transferred to Sonoma County for long-term preservation under a conservation easement and management plan.
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