Through research and education, the Pacific Forest Trust seeks to put better tools and information in the hands of those whose decisions shape our forests: forest owners, investors, foresters, policy-makers, residents of forest communities, and the general public. Our goal is to promote a greater understanding and application of stewardship forestry in the Pacific Northwest.

What is stewardship forestry?

It is forest management that works with natural forest diversity, structure and ecological processes to produce fine timber and other commercial products as well as the whole array of forest "ecosystem services," such as clean and abundant water, carbon sequestration, fish and wildlife habitat, natural beauty, recreational opportunities and cultural values.

Stewardship forestry works with and benefits from a forest’s natural diversity, while better maintaining options for future values and hedges against the risk of changing markets and regulations. Stewardship management builds a forest’s natural resilience and enhances productivity through time. Read the Stewardship Forestry Basics for a full background.

• "Stewardship Forestry at Work" is a collection of case studies of exemplary forest management in California, Oregon and Washington, highlighting the costs and benefits of stewardship forestry for different kinds of owners facing different management challenges. The case studies show the work of real people and their investments in forest stewardship.

• Investment Opportunities in Sustainable Forestry. "Capital Markets and Sustainable Forestry" is a special report prepared for the MacArthur Foundation that details the potential benefits of expanded investment in sustainable forestry. Such investment will protect and enhance forests world-wide, while fostering economic growth and ecological values.

• America’s Private Forests: Status and Stewardship, The Pacific Forest Trust developed a strategy for accelerating conservation of private US Forests at the request of a consortium of major philanthropies. PFT prepared a comprehensive report to guide them in their forest conservation grant-making. The goal was to identify feasible, practical means to increase protection of native biodiversity on private forestlands. The expanded version of this report is America's Private Forests, and was published in book form by Island Press in 2001.

• The Pacific Forest Trust conducted a GIS-based analysis of change and loss in California’s private forests through time. This assessment is contributing to the conservation strategy being developed by the the state Resource Agency’s California Continuing Resource Investment and Strategic Planning (CCRISP) effort.

PFT also provides advice to private forestland owners regarding their stewardship forestry options, and the integration of conservation objectives into their operations. Dale Thornburgh, Ph.D., California Registered Professional Forester #430, is PFT’s Senior Forester and leads our work in this area.

As part of this technical assistance, we also advise landowners on the potential for increased carbon sequestration through alternative forest management approaches, and provide economic analyses of potential sales of forest-based carbon credits.

Learn more about PFT's Forest Climate Program and sales of forest carbon credits.