Received Groundbreaking $65M Loan to Purchase Land: A Historic Victory for Community Forestry and ConservationIn a moment that redefined the future of California's redwood region, the Redwood Forest Foundation (RFF) secured a groundbreaking $65 million loan—a bold financial move that enabled the purchase and permanent protection of 50,000 acres of redwood forestland in Mendocino County.After more than a decade of determined effort, this achievement represents far more than a real estate transaction. It is the rescue of a forest from industrial logging, the establishment of California's first large-scale community-owned working forest, and a powerful model for sustainable land stewardship rooted in ecological, economic, and social renewal.A Forest at a CrossroadsFor generations, the redwood forests of the North Coast were subject to relentless industrial exploitation. Once home to some of the tallest and oldest trees on Earth, vast swaths of the redwood range were clear-cut, fragmented, and degraded. By the early 2000s, the Usal Redwood Forest, located along California's iconic Lost Coast, was no exception—deeply impacted by extractive logging practices, eroding streambanks, and vanishing wildlife habitat.At the same time, timberland ownership was consolidating under absentee corporations and investment firms, often with little accountability to local communities or long-term forest health.Faced with this trajectory, RFF asked a radical question: What if a forest could be owned and managed not by shareholders or speculators, but by the people who live within its reach?The answer was the community forest model, and the first step was buying the land.The Road to $65 MillionIt took more than ten years of negotiations, feasibility studies, public outreach, and relentless fundraising to make the dream real. With support from conservation finance experts, public agencies, and mission-aligned investors, RFF was able to structure a complex financial package that included:*A $65 million loan, secured with the help of the Bank of America, the State of California, and several conservation finance organizations*A mix of public and private funding, including grants and carbon revenue projections*A long-term plan for repayment through sustainable timber harvesting, carbon credits, and reinvestment in forest restorationThis financial innovation was not just about acquiring land—it was about proving that climate-aligned, socially responsible forestry could compete in the same markets as industrial timber. And it worked.A New Era for the Usal Redwood ForestWith the purchase complete, RFF assumed ownership of 50,000 acres of mixed redwood and Douglas-fir forestland—one of California's largest private forest conservation efforts. But more importantly, the forest entered into permanent community stewardship.Today, the Usal Redwood Forest is:*FSC®-certified for sustainable forestry*A source of living-wage jobs and local economic development*Home to RFF's biochar program, helping sequester carbon and improve soils*A model for climate-resilient land management, including fire risk reduction and salmon habitat restoration*A landscape of healing—ecologically, economically, and culturallyInstead of short-term profit, forest decisions are now guided by long-term health of the land, the waterways, the wildlife, and the people.A Victory for Community, Climate, and ConservationThis groundbreaking $65 million loan wasn't just a transaction but a transformation. It proved that big conservation can be community-led. That forests don't need to be sacrificed to pay back capital. That local people, when trusted with the land, can manage it wisely and justly.It also provided a replicable blueprint for how conservation groups might think differently about financing, ownership, and ecosystem restoration, particularly in working landscapes.What once was an extractive asset is now a living legacy. A carbon sink. A salmon stronghold. A public good.The Work ContinuesSecuring the land was a milestone, but not the end. RFF continues to invest in restoring the Usal Redwood Forest, expanding its ecological research, building the green jobs workforce of the future, and strengthening ties with Indigenous communities and rural stakeholders.We invite you to be part of this story.Visit RFF.org to learn more, support ongoing forest restoration, or explore how your organization can partner in reimagining what forest ownership can mean.This forest was rescued by vision, grit, and community. And now, its future belongs to all of us.
