Forest Flash: April 2026

In Pacific Forest Trust’s e-newsletter, Forest Flash, we send you the most recent PFT news and updates on forests, clean water, climate, and wildlife. Subscribe here.

PFT was pleased to participate in San Francisco’s Climate Week with a panel focusing on the essential benefits of forests and other lands as climate solutions for both mitigation and adaptation. PFT President and co-Founder Laurie Wayburn led a panel “Managing Forests and Agricultural Lands for Climate Benefits” as part of the Accelerating the Transition conference held at UC Law.

She highlighted how managing forests for older, more natural conditions and broader ecological function—rather than managing simply for source of commodities—delivers significant climate and ecosystem benefits as well as timber supplies and increasing net carbon stocks. These mature forests also play an important role in water storage and local climate regulation, including influencing moisture dynamics and precipitation patterns through forest structure and wind effects. These older forests are also key refuges for myriad wildlife, providing a diverse suite of habitats from early to later seral stage forest, meadow and riparian habitats.

Managing forests for older, more natural conditions reduces many climate exacerbated risks, such as fire, floods, invasive pests and diseases.  They also produces significant economic benefits; forests which PFT manages are harvested annually, producing roughly 3 million board foot of timber annually, while tripling and quadrupling total volume of timber and carbon. Older, larger trees have another quite powerful beneficial climate impact: methane- eating bacteria live in their bark. The larger the tree, the more bacteria inhabit it. Methane is a far more potent global warming gas than carbon dioxide, having 80 times the impact per ton as CO2. Scientists identify that growing older forests can reduce at least 10% of excess methane in the atmosphere, an enormous contribution to solving the climate crisis.

Expanding Our Staff and Impact!

PFT has been growing! With expansion of our conserved and managed forests, as well as new initiatives, we’ve welcomed several new team members to help advance innovative solutions for forests, climate, and communities. With diverse backgrounds and skills, they share a passion for creating positive change.

With over 130,000 acres under PFT’s conservation easements, our Stewardship and Conservation team has expanded with the addition of Brenna O’Brien, Stewardship Associate. Brenna holds a degree in Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution from UC San Diego and brings experience in conservation easement monitoring and habitat restoration. She joins Jack Singer, Shay Brown, and Lydia Hammer as a critical part of our team ensuring easement terms are upheld and supporting landowners in forest stewardship.

We’ve also added to our Development Department with a Gifts Officer, Kevin Lemons. With prior experience at Stanford University and National Geographic Expeditions, Kevin led experiential journeys connecting supporters to the people and places they care about. Kevin’s goal is to create meaningful opportunities for donors to engage more deeply with forest conservation to inspire long-term support.

Keith Novosel joined PFT as Science Communications and Content Manager. With a background in Business Administration from Pepperdine University and experience with environmental nonprofits, most recently Bok Tower Gardens in Central Florida, Keith specializes in using compelling imagery and writing to tell organizational stories, make science-based conservation come alive and engage broader constituencies.

PFT is proud to house the the Volgenau Climate Institute’s PNW Older Forest Network, which first convened at the end of September last year. Violet Low-Beinart joined PFT to support that network building and cross-sector collaboration. She brings experience in working lands conservation and agroforestry with a Master of Environmental Management from the Yale School of the Environment. She also supports the coordination of two working groups on beneficial fire policy which PFT leads.

We’re grateful for the energy and expertise these new team members bring!

Forest Fete 2026: Solving the Climate Puzzle was a joyful and inspiring evening of friends, community, and shared commitment to the future of forests and climate.

Guests gathered for a lively reception before dinner and the evening’s program. PFT President and Co-Founder Laurie Wayburn opened the program with heartfelt remarks on the vital importance of a whole-forest approach in addressing the climate crisis and our responsibility to future generations.

We were delighted to honor leaders whose work is shaping policy and creating lasting change on the ground. Kip Lipper, the California Senate’s lead climate and environment adviser, received the Outside-the-Box Award, recognizing his extraordinary leadership in transforming climate policy, water conservation, biodiversity protection, and environmental policy in California. In his remarks, he reflected on the importance of collective action and long-term commitment to meaningful change.

Nick Goulette, Executive Director of The Watershed Research and Training Center, received the Forest Champion Award for his leadership advancing forest restoration and stewardship, and for TWRTC’s partnership with PFT conserving the Trinity Headwaters. TWRTC is now the owner of Trinity Headwaters, managing under a Working Forest Conservation Easement held by PFT.  We look forward to a long and fruitful collaboration.

Our keynote speaker Rhett Butler, founder of Mongabay. He offered a powerful reflection on storytelling in conservation sharing lessons on how stories can move people to care and act: knowing your audience, thoughtful framing, compelling narrative, and hope grounded in truth. He highlighted PFT’s transfer of land at Henness Ridge back to the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation as an example of a story that embodies these characteristics.

The evening closed with a spirited live auction, paddle raise, and a joyful shared moment as guests joined in “Sweet PFT,” to the tune of Sweet Caroline, filling the room with laughter, music, and connection.

Thanks to everyone’s extraordinary generosity, over $100,000 was raised to support PFT’s work. We are deeply grateful to everyone who made Forest Fete 2026 possible. Click here to view images from the evening.

If you couldn’t join us—or would like to continue supporting this work—please click the button below to donate.

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