Quantifying reforestation and/or other silvicultural treatment needs provides insights on potential technical and financial assistance opportunities. Data are available for California timberland as a whole and separately for National Forests on reforestation needs. Data on forest area requiring treatments to reduce stocking may be provided in other chapters of the assessment and will be used to evaluate this indicator.

Favorable third party and other assessments of forest managers are considered evidence that sustainable forestry is being practiced. There are three forest management certification programs that California forest landowners engage in. These all require that managers adhere to specified standards of forest sustainability. There are also mandatory and voluntary regulatory procedures by which landowners can demonstrate sustainable forest management.

Local and regional controversy over forest management is reflected in appeals or protests against Timber Harvest Plans or on National Forests, appeals and lawsuits on NEPA documents filed for forestry projects. Generic protest letters regarding Timber Harvest Plans are not considered to be an accurate representation of controversy. Other measures such as number of legal actions filed may be superior. For National Forests, appeals filed and subsequent legal actions are suitable measures of controversy.

Characterize the general management approach of timberland owners and quantify the extent to which that approach is applied. There are six landowner groups in California each of which has a different approach to timberland management. These include forest industry, forest industry suppliers, custodial owners, land trusts and conservation organizations, tribes and public agencies. Each of these groups varies in its adoption of sustainable forestry practices.

State and federal landowner assistance programs provide incentives for landowners to manage their timberland properties. The principal assistance programs affecting forest landowners are the California Forest Improvement Program, Vegetation Management Program and NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives program. Funding levels and project priorities vary among these programs. New assistance programs may emerge in the next few years that can provide benefits to forest landowners.

Net growth of growing stock on timberland (defined as capable of producing 20 cf/acre/year which is used by FIA) and net growth to removals ratio. Data are available for timberland as a whole and for different ownerships that quantify the amount of growth, mortality and harvest.

This indicator is considered to reflect local and regional engagement by stakeholders in timberland management. There are numerous collaborative efforts and local or regional groups that are actively involved with forest management throughout California’s forested regions. Many of these have received funding and technical assistance from state and federal agencies and private foundations.

Feasibility of forest management is affected in part by the proximity of a market for harvested timber. This will be a mapped product that shows where current lumber mills are relative to the resource base. Distance from mills is considered to be one of the most important factors affecting the cost of harvesting and stumpage returns to the landowner.

Total carbon pools and fluxes are measures of the current status of carbon storage in California forests. The total carbon pool in a forest consists of above ground living and dead plant materials, forest floor litter and plant materials and soil carbon. Living and dead plant materials are quantified in data provided in the latest Forest Inventory and Analysis report. Information on other carbon storage components may be extrapolated from research conducted in California or elsewhere. Carbon fluxes are defined as the balance between carbon sequestration and emissions from forests.

Quantifying the storage of carbon in wood products constitutes an element of the total carbon life cycle. Life cycle analysis will provide the estimates of carbon storage versus emissions in wood products.