California’s forests are a gift – one that must be preserved. Due to a combination of catastrophic threats like wildfires, warmer temperatures, and decades-long fire suppression practices, our forests have become a danger to the environment, to the animals and plants which inhabit them, to life and property, and to their own existence.
Moreover, our state’s 33 million acres of forestland capture millions of tons of CO2 every year to clean our air and water, provide habitat for some of the greatest biodiversity on the planet, support local economies, and serve as sacred spiritual and cultural centers for indigenous and local communities.
California’s forest health crisis requires an innovative and multi-pronged solution. Golden State Natural Resources offers one part of that solution to help protect and enhance the environment and quality of life in California’s rural counties and beyond.
By transforming excess and unmarketable biomass and fire fuels into higher-value wood products, Golden State Natural Resources will create jobs, stimulate rural economies, and begin the process of mitigating dangerous wildfire conditions.
Golden State Natural Resources brings together committed public and private entities with expertise and resources to restore forests in California to wildfire resilient landscapes that produce healthy trees, clean air and water, enhance wildlife habitat, and reduce carbon dioxide. It is time to restore our forests before it is too late.
For Golden State Natural Resources, safety is paramount. We are committed to keeping our communities healthy and safe from catastrophic wildfire. Reducing the potential for catastrophic wildfires in California protects rural communities, property, critical infrastructure and the natural habitats that surround them, as well as alleviating smoke-related air quality issues that impact California residents throughout the state. Restoring forest management practices advances conservation priorities.
The development of an innovative wood product industry sector in California will create employment opportunities for generations to come. Golden State Natural Resources is committed to enabling prosperity by growing the economy through living wage job creation in California’s rural communities.
The work of Golden State Natural Resources will transform excess and unmarketable fire fuels into a higher-value wood product, supporting the State’s wood innovation economy and providing one solution to a multi-pronged crisis in California. Our aim is to reduce the potential for catastrophic wildfires while creating a marketable wood product and promoting research and development. GSNR offers a wood utilization strategy that helps improve air quality and strengthen resiliency.
Reducing hazardous fire fuels benefit all Californians by improving air quality, carbon and harmful emissions reduction, watershed health, wildlife habitat, organic waste diversion, public health and safety, and more. GSNR seeks to protect and enhance the quality of life for all Californians. GSNR’s goal is to deliver local benefits with a global impact.
California’s forests are vital to protecting the environment as well as the health and wellbeing of the public.
Our forests and the communities that reside among them are at risk. From 2018 to 2021 over an estimated 9 million acres of land were burned in wildfires.1 These fires spread harmful smoke across the state, damaged forestland and wildfire habitats, and devastated communities with loss of life and property. The 2021 Dixie Fire, the second largest in state history, decimated the town of Greenville in Plumas County, burned over 960,000 acres of land, and demolished 1,329 homes and structures, while also upending the lives of thousands forced to evacuate.2 Reducing the potential for catastrophic wildfires such as these is crucial.
Over the years California’s forests have grown in density due to fire suppression and limited management, containing higher amounts of high hazard fuels and excessive biomass that, along with the extended drought and the bark beetle infestation, can lead to greater fire risk. While 80 trees per acre (basal area) is generally cited as the ideal for forest health, some areas of California’s forests are experiencing 200 to over 500 trees per acre.3
We must act now to preserve California’s forests and Golden State Natural Resources stands ready to be part of the solution.
Modoc County Supervisor,
District 5
Supervisor Geri Byrne represents District 5 on the Modoc County Board of Supervisors. She was first elected to the Modoc County Board of Supervisors in 2010 and was appointed to the GSNR Board of Directors in 2022.
Siskiyou County Supervisor,
District 3
Supervisor Kobseff represents District 3 on the Siskiyou County Board of Supervisors. District 3 includes the City of Weed, Lake Shastina, Grenada, Big Springs, Gazelle and a portion of Mount Shasta northwest of Abrams Lake Road.
Butte County Supervisor,
District 5
Doug Teeter is a Butte County Supervisors for District 5, which includes United States Forest Service and state forest lands and was heavily impacted by the Camp Fire in 2018.
Lake County Supervisor,
District 3
Lake County Supervisor, District 3 Member, Golden State Natural Resources eddie.crandell@lakecountyca.gov Supervisor Eddie “E.J.” Crandell represents the 3rd District on the Lake County Board of Supervisors, encompassing Highway 20 from Blue Lakes to Clearlake Oaks, including portions of Mendocino National Forest and Berryessa Snow Mountain. His district includes three federally recognized tribes: Habematolel Pomo of […]
Mariposa County Supervisor,
District 5
Mariposa County Supervisor, District 5 Member, Golden State Natural Resources mmenetrey@mariposacounty.org Born in San Jose, California, in August 1959, Supervisor Menetrey spent his formative years in the scenic Santa Cruz Mountains, specifically in the town of Boulder Creek. After graduating from San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, California, in 1977, he began his early […]
