Reforesting Butte County
How Many Trees Are We Planting? On top of the human toll, the Camp Fire and North Complex fires also killed as many as three million trees. We will not replace every tree that burned because Butte County's "next forest" needs to be less dense. But, we will replant several hundred thousand trees in a fire- and climate-resilient way. Our biggest planting seasons will be spring 2021 and 2022.
How Do I Get Trees? During the spring and fall planting seasons, we can connect you with free seedlings (oaks/hardwoods in fall, conifers in spring). Limits apply. We may also be able to help you with site prep, maintenance, brush and tree removal, and re-introducing "good fire" to your land if you want. We are your one-stop shop, the hub that brings all these programs into one place so you can get the help you need. No matter who you are, we'll do our best to help you help the land.
Give The Gift Of Trees If you'd like to support BCRCD's reforestation work with a tax-deducatible donation, click here to give to the BCRCD Tree Planting Fund, a 501(c)3 charity under the care of the North Valley Community Foundation. You can make a gift in honor or memory of someone if you choose.
The Next Forest If we lost 1 million trees, why aren't we replanting 1 million trees? Because the forest that burned was too dense. Historically, Butte County forests were more open and sunny. There were fewer trees per acre and it's likely more of them were oaks. So, wherever possible, we're helping landowners replant in "clumpy-gappy" patterns that mimic nature, rather than traditional close-spaced conifer plantations. And we'll help you plant oaks and a diverse genetic mix of conifers for better climate adaptation. For the average small landowner, a good slogan to keep in mind might be "Plant Trees - Not Too Many - Mostly Oaks".
Press articles about our reforestation strategy:
"Replanting Trees in Camp Fire Footprint to Begin in Early Spring" Oroville M-R 1/11/20
"Volunteers Replant Trees in Camp Fire Footprint" - Action News Now, 2/2/20
"Volunteers Plant Hundreds of trees in Paradise and Magalia" - Chico E-R 2/8/20
"Replanting Paradise" - talks about the Concow Resilience Project, BCRCD's initiative to restore oak-pine woodland in Concow; American Forests Magazine fall 2020