The McKee Creek Forest Health Project aims to enhance forest biodiversity and health, increase fire resiliency, and improve salmonid habitat in the McKee Creek watershed, tributary to the Mattole River. Current conditions include dense stands of small tanoaks and Douglas fir trees, with larger hardwoods scattered throughout. These unmanaged stands provide limited wildlife habitat and are at significant wildfire risk, contributing to diminished summer streamflow in McKee Creek. It is suggested that by reducing the tree density by 100 trees/acre across the 289-acre tract, streamflow benefits could increase 35 gal/minute over the dry season (June-Oct), which is equivalent to ~8 million gallons of water. Fewer trees/acre will result in more diverse and healthy forest conditions with increased fire resiliency and greater carbon sequestration over the long term.

Capacity - Long-term Funding, Capacity - Year-round Local Capacity, Climate Action - Adaptation, Climate Action - Carbon Sequestration and Storage, Climate Action - Emissions Reduction, Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration - Conservation Planning, Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration - Land Acquisition & Protection, Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration - Water, Fire Resilient Forests - Fuel Management

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289 acres