Our Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) is designed to protect the whole fabric of the ecosystem - the various species, the water in our streams, streamside forests, old-growth and young growth forests. These unique types of habitat constitute the biodiversity necessary for the wide range of species that are dependent on our land.

At the same time, our HCP includes specific protection plans for a wide variety of fish, wildlife and plants on our land, with special focus on certain species that are considered key indicators of ecosystem health. For example, we are specifically monitoring the status of two birds (marbled murrelet and northern spotted owl) and habitat conditions for four species of fish (coho salmon, chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and coastal cutthroat trout) to help gauge the effectiveness of our HCP.

Each fish, bird and mammal species on our land has individual needs when it comes to food, shelter and protection from predators. For example, on our property, marbled murrelets prefer the protection provided by dense old-growth groves while many songbirds need forest openings to thrive. Spotted owls like a variety of forest cover and openings in which to hunt.

Under our HCP, we have set aside 6,000-plus acres of redwood forests, much of it old-growth, to protect threatened species including the marbled murrelet and spotted owl. In addition, we leave wide buffers of trees along streams and carefully manage our road construction and maintenance in harvest areas to keep streams clear and cool for native fish, such as coho salmon and steelhead trout.