The Arcata Community Forest is part of the parks and recreation system of the City of

Arcata Arcata (; ; ) is a city adjacent to the Arcata Bay (northern) portion of Humboldt Bay in Humboldt County, California, United States. At the 2020 census, Arcata's population was 18,857. Arcata was first founded in 1850 as Union, was officially ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. It was originally created in 1955 from six forest tracts: Gannon Tract, Burns Tract, Preston Tract I, Preston Tract II, Reclamation Water Co. Tract, and Brizard Tract. The main forest area covers . The park was the culmination of efforts to combine tracts of forest land located east of the city together in one continuous section of city-owned second-growth

coast redwood ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995: 606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coast ...

forest. Over a 50-year period, were obtained in several purchases. In November 2006, the Sunny Brae Forest was added to the Community Forest. The city also owns and manages the Jacoby Creek Forest. The City owns a total of of forest. Prior to European settlement, the land which makes up Arcata Community Forest was occupied by the indigenous Wiyot people. The Wiyot community used the Arcata forestlands for hunting, fishing, as well as other practices. In the 1850s, European settlers began to occupy the Humboldt Bay region and Wiyot people were driven off the land. Until 1964, this land was used as the municipal water source, obtaining its supply from Gannon Creek, Preston Creek (Jolly Giant), and Janes Creek. Historically, steelhead and salmon migrated upstream into all the creeks before logging and poor water quality wiped them out. It is currently used for

education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

wildlife Wildlife refers to domestication, undomesticated animals and uncultivated plant species which can exist in their natural habitat, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wilderness, wild in an area without being species, introdu ...

habitat In ecology, habitat refers to the array of resources, biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species' habitat can be seen as the physical manifestation of its ...

, and sustainable

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

harvesting. Many of Arcata's small streams possess their

headwater The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

s in the Arcata Community Forest. In 1979, the citizens of Arcata passed the "Forest Management and Parkland Initiative". The Arcata Community Forest was the first

municipal forest A municipal forest or municipal woodland is a forest or wood owned by a town or city. Such woods often have a higher density of leisure facilities like play parks, restaurants and cafes, bridleways, cycle paths and footpaths. Unlike an urban forest ...

certified in the US under the Forest Stewardship Council. This was intended to develop an ecologically responsible long-term forest management program to generate income to develop and acquire parkland. Generating $500,000–$700,000 of revenue per year from timber harvesting, the forest is self-supporting, and excess net revenue is used to maintain other city parkland and open space. The forest is popular with hikers, birders, and has a history of (illegal) camping that remains unpopular with some locals who report being harassed or intimidated by the homeless that have "staked a claim" to both public and private property. According to the Humboldt Housing and Homeless Coalition (HHHC), 74% of homeless individuals were camping in Humboldt County. Approximately 15 illegal, two- to five-person camps are cleaned up annually by the Arcata City Police and Environmental Service Departments in the community forest. Parking and main trail head can be accessed from an unmarked road at Bayview and E 12th St. The Redwood Lodge is located at the park; it is available for rent to host activities and contains tables, chairs, and a small kitchen with appliances.

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External links

Arcata Community ForestArcata Community Forest Images By Jeff Schmitt
Arcata, California Municipal parks in California Protected areas of Humboldt County, California Forests of California Community-based forestry Protected areas established in 1955 1955 establishments in California