'Spectacular:' California invests in 7,500-acre conservation easement on Mt. Shasta
California officials have agreed to invest about $3 million in public funds on 7,500 acres located on the forested northeastern slopes of Mt. Shasta. But don't expect the area to change much in the coming years.
There aren't plans for any new developments, ski resorts, mining or clear-cut logging on the property. The money is being used to set up a conservation easement that ensures the area is protected from development.
The nonprofit Pacific Forest Trust, which will manage the property, says the aim of the project is to improve wildlife habitat, provide for public recreation and local jobs, improve forest health and reduce wildland fire danger.
"The conservation easement will maintain this spectacular property — 10 times the size of (San Francisco's) Golden Gate Park — in private ownership, its management guided by the easement, protecting these resources on behalf of the public at a fraction of the cost of public ownership, while ensuring continued private investment in the property’s long-term stewardship," Pacific Forest Trust said in a description of the new easement.
Conservation easements are restrictions and management guidelines that are permanently placed on a property's title. There are dozens of voluntary conservation easements, encompassing tens of thousands of acres, that have been placed on rural properties throughout the North State.
Pacific Forest Trust manages easements on 44,456 acres in Siskiyou County alone. The nonprofit also manages easements in the McCloud area of Shasta County. The 7,500-acre voluntary easement on Mt. Shasta is called Shasta Timberlands Working Forest.
The property covers numerous 640-acre checkerboard sections near the Mt. Shasta wilderness that encompasses the upper slopes of the mountain. The project straddles the Klamath River and Sacramento River watersheds, which means part of the mountain rain and snow runoff flows into the Sacramento River and part runs into the Klamath River.
The easement includes Ash Creek Butte, an 8,360-foot shield volcano, meadows, rocky escarpments, mountain springs and thousands of acres of conifer forests that include red fir, incense cedar and lodgepole and ponderosa pine.
The agency said the land will remain privately owned by TC&I Shasta, LLC and sustainable logging will continue on the property.
The property will also help in connecting private and public lands in the area, including the Klamath and Shasta-Trinity national forests.
Some 2,700 acres of the project will be managed solely to benefit wildlife habitat, including 250 "imperiled" species, including gray wolf, Pacific fisher and Pacific marten.
"The conservation easement also ensures public access for recreation on Mt. Shasta ― another major element to the local economy," the agency says on its website.
Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!
This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: California invests $3 million for ownership of 7,500 acres on Mt. Shasta
