Coalition to Save Jackson The People’s Forest
Why Is California Logging Sacred Lands?
Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) is a 48,652-acre state owned coast redwood forest located in Mendocino County. CalFire manages the land as an industrial timberland, routinely cutting large, old redwoods. The Save Jackson State Forest Coalition is committed to following Indigenous leadership and works to change the mandate of JDSF from industrial logging to Indigenous Land Management that will benefit all Californians.
Sign the Petition! Tell California Lawmakers to Pass the 2026 State Demonstration Forest Legislation – Assembly Bill 2494! In the spring 2026, the State Legislature is considering Assembly Bill 2494, to replace commercial logging and mining in California’s 14 Demonstration State Forests with biodiversity conservation, fire resilience, outdoor access and recreation, and co-governance with Indigenous and Tribal people. We call on lawmakers to pass this important legislation to ensure our demonstration forests are managed for the benefit of all Californians.
Official Legislative Text: AB-2494 State Forests: Forest Management
Resolution: SEIJ’s Letter of Support (the alliance for Social, Environmental and Indigenous Justice, pronounced ‘Sage’), a group of environmental and social justice activists long involved in environmental activism in Mendocino County
“The Jackson State Forest managers define sustainability in a manner completely at odds with our indigenous world view. “Sustainability” to them means being able to cut down redwood trees that can live for thousands of years and replant them in order to keep cutting the trees every few decades. The primary motivation for their sustainability model is money and job creation, not for forest health. In their rush to cut redwood trees, they fail to honor the vital life-giving force of forests that are the very lungs of Mother Earth. Our view of a sustainable forest is a forest that sustains our culture, values and way of life, not one that is managed in order to be cut for profit.” — a powerful quote from the late Priscilla Hunter, Chairwoman of the Intertribal Sinkyone Wilderness Council
Statement: EPIC (the Environmental Protection Information Center) Sponsors Legislation to Conserve State Demonstration Forest System
“The legislation brings the governance of state-owned demonstration forests to the modern era by updating management objectives that date back to 1947, when logging old-growth forests and destructive logging techniques were still being demonstrated. By modernizing state policy that governs state demonstration forests, which are currently managed by the California Board of Forestry and CAL FIRE under laws within the Public Resources Code, we are helping the state to catch up with its conservation priorities and climate goals.”
Statement: Assembly member Chris Rogers Introduces Bill to Modernize the Operations of Demonstration State Forests “Our demonstration state forest system contains precious old growth redwoods and allows for innovative research around wildfire resiliency and watershed restoration,” said Assembly member Rogers. “This bill aligns with Governor Newsom’s 30×30 conservation framework and prioritizes the environment, recreation, scientific research and addressing climate change as the main focuses for the state to manage our public lands.”
Resolution: Sinkyone Intertribal Wilderness Coalition
Public Comments on the JDSF draft 2026 Forest Management Plan
We say:
First: Establish Tribal Co-Governance of JDSF, with equal authority to Tribes and California.
Second: Tribes co-write with California a new Forest Management Plan to restore the forest.
Third: The community works together to restore this Gem of a Forest!
The Latest Updates from the Coalition
Invitation to the Public to Attend the AIM 500 Mile Spirit Run
April 12 at 10:00 a.m. The Coalition to Save Jackson State Forest invites you supporters and the public to attend the run by the ‘AIM 500 Mile Spirit Runners’ in Jackson…
