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The Greenspace InsiderVolume 2, Number 3 April, 2002

In the beginning. . .Around a kitchen table a group

of Cambrians began discussions

on how to view the Cambriawoods in terms of an ecosystem

rather than small 25 x 70 foot lots.The year was 1990. The groupcalled itself the Cambria Forest

Advisory Committee. Nearly 12years later in March of 2002 the

Cambria Forest Commit-tee intro-

duced toour com-

munity the

Cambria Forest Management Plan.Greenspace is proud to have been part of

that small group of Cambrians who startedthinking about how our Monterey pine forest

might look if left to survive without some sort ofnurturing. Would there be a forest or just rem-nants of a forest remembered by a few street

and back yard trees? The kitchen table groupgrew into a larger committee with representa-

tives from a diverse cross-section of our com-

munity and county. The small committeeevolved into a committee that local, county andstate government took an active interest in. The

group adopted various names during the 12years of meetings and eventually agreed to beknown as the Cambria Forest Committee.

Believe me, many heated discussions ensuedduring the democratic process in those years. As a result of those

discussions, Bill Morem, editor of the Cambrian, offered a forum to ex-press these diverse opinions in the paper. The enclosed booklet, Tales

from the Cambria Woods, is the complete collection of essays that ap-peared in the Cambrian during 1998 and 1999.

The Cambria Forest Management Plan was funded through SB1712.This legislation provided $2.1 million in $350,000 increments over 6 yearsto address pitch canker issues in the Monterey pine forest. The bill wasauthored by Senator Bruce McPherson of Santa Cruz County and co-sponsored by our Senator, Jack OConnell. The California Department ofForestry and Fire Protection is responsible for administration of these funds.The Cambria Forest Committee was successful in obtaining $110,000 ofthis money to produce a forest management plan.

The Cambria Forest Committee wrote a Request for Proposalsadvertising for a qualified consultant. Through an extensive inter-

view process Jones and Stokes, a consulting firm based in the SanFrancisco Bay area, was chosen to write the plan under the over-

Tales from the Cambria Woods

and the Cambria Forest Management Plan

sight of the Cambria Forest Committee. The Cambria Comm

nity Services District received the funds and was responsifor the proper disbursement of the grant fun

There are three basic goals of the forest plan. These a

1) improve forest health and maintain biological diversity, consistwith the Forest Management Plan and applicable laws, policies, a

regulations; 2) reduce hazards to life and property, consistent wthe Forest Management Plan; and 3) maintain and enhance a

thetic values of the forest, consistent with Forest Management Pl

One of the many unique facets of this plathat it encompasses an entire native forest der one jurisdiction. That jurisdiction would

the County of San Luis Obispo. There are no mjurisdictional political boundaries. This is the

time we are aware that any community has besuccessful in writing a forest management planan entire forest. While the plan is voluntary, it

tablishes the best-known management techniqfor Monterey pines. The plan is considered to b

living document that can easily adapt to newformation or management prescriptions. The do

ment is not intended for use by homeowners

rather, a Certified Registered Forester with a forest eogy backgrou

The Cambria Forest Management Plan be available soon on the Pitch Canker Task Fo

website www.frap.cdf.gov/pitch_canker or a can be found soon at our webs

www.greenspacecambria.org. Additionathere is a hard copy availableat the Cambria Library.

The next step will involve pre-

senting the Plan to elected

officials who must approvethe document as a planning

tool. The final step willb e i m p l e m e n t i n g t h e

Plan and that, of course,will be a decision by the

electorate. The CambriaForest Committee meetsat 7:00 P.M. on the fourth

Wednesday of eachmonth at the Fire Station.

P lease jo in us .

The Planning Process

Goals of the Plan

Photo Courtesy of Galen Ra

Courtesy of Art Van Rhyn

Whats Next?

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Beforeamanagementtechniquecanbeselected,themanagementunitsmustbedefined.Onceselected,the

managercandeterminethepropertechniquefortreatment.Herearesomeexamplesofwhatmanagementunitsmightlooklike.

HypotheticalManagementUnitDelineation

Local Land Conservation Since 1988

Post Office Box 1505Cambria, California 93428

(805) 927-2866 - Phone(805) 927-7530 - Fax

e-mail: rick@GreenspaceCambria.orgwww.GreenspaceCambria.org

U.S. Bulk Rate

PAID

Permit No. 37

Cambria, CA 9342

Non-Profit Organiza