Sustainable Land Management
The MRC works to encourage Mattole residents to manage their land for overall ecosystem health and to promote sustainable forest and range management practices, particularly as an alternative to industrial paradigms. To address this goal the Sustainable Land Management program aims to:
- Review and comment on Timber Harvest Plans, Non-Industrial Timber Management Plans, Program Timber Harvest Plans (PTHPs) and other Forest Practices documents submitted in the Mattole watershed
- Participate in industrial timberland planning processes in the Mattole
- Track the Regional Water Quality Control Board’s Watershed-Wide Waste Discharge Requirements process proposed by the Regional Water Quality Control Board as it affects the industrial timber ownerships in the Mattole. Participate to encourage regulatory relief and incentives for non-industrial landowners in this process.
- Conduct outreach and information exchange about forestry issues and land management options including, for example, new or amended Forest Practice Rules, sustainable forestry, holistic range management, etc.
- Assist non-industrial timberland owners with programs such as MRC’s Program Timber Environmental Impact Report (PTEIR), Non-Industrial Timber Management Plans (NTMPs), and conservation easements. MRC will only assist plans that meet MRC’s land management standards
- Assist landowners in taking advantage of new opportunities for the management of their forests and rangeland that are compatible with the Council’s mission
- Promote voluntary tools that result in the protection of large parcels from development that would threaten watershed values such as wildlife habitat, water quality, and adequate streamflow
- Cooperate with the Buckeye Conservancy, the Institute for Sustainable Forestry, the Redwood Forest Foundation, and others to encourage sustainable land management
- Where feasible and practical, participate in County and regional planning efforts that encourage practices that promote ecological, social, and economical benefits for the long term
- Research and provide latest information on sustainable energy security that is compatible with the Council’s mission
- Support resource-based cottage industry, when feasible, that is ecologically sustainable and locally beneficial