Comment Log Display

Dear Shelby Livingston,

Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the Natural Working
Land (NWL) Implementation Plan Concept Paper. 

The Northern California Regional Land Trust (NCRLT) services the
tri-county region of Butte, Glenn, and Tehama from the western
slopes of the southern Cascade Range and northern Sierra Nevada
Range to the eastern slopes of the Coast Range. NCRLT holds
conservation easements on over 24,000 acres in the region and the
majority of the acreage is rangelands and oak woodlands. NCRLT
staff prepared the following comments addressing the development
and implementation of the NWL Plan.

Oak woodland restoration acreage potential in Tehama County alone
is at least an order of magnitude higher than the Sierra/Cascade
acreage target (Ambitious = 750 acres) that was presented at the
joint-agency meeting in Auburn.

Soil conservation practices of mulching and composting within oak
woodlands could have unintended effects of creating soil conditions
that increase favor increased pressure of non-natives in native
plant habitat (e.g., thin soils on volcanic substrates). 
Restoration of perennial grasses could be considered as an
alternative method of increasing carbon sequestration in some
rangeland habitats.

The tri-county region has a large network of ephemeral,
intermittent, and non-anadromous perennial streams that extend from
the valley floor to the coniferous forest.  These waterways have
potential for restoration perennial herbaceous and woody species
through active management techniques (e.g., exclusionary fencing)
that could result in carbon sequestration orders of magnitude
higher than current state of the art models for project riparian
restoration potential, which tends to focus on a limited aggressive
restoration approach and specific larger water features (e.g.,
major arterials and/or anadromous streams).

Implementation of the plan should adequately address the financial
support that conservation partners (i.e., nonprofits and special
districts) is critical for on-the-ground regional roll out,
implementation, and maintenance of plans goals and objectives. 
Similarly the plan should address the integral role of land
managers/landowners and financial support for their participation
in implementing and supporting the plan.

Sincerely,

Paul Kirk
Executive Director
Northern California Regional Land Trust