The struggling economy may actually benefit the environment. Redtree Properties, a timber company that operates in the Santa Cruz Mountains, has agreed to sell 267 acres of second growth redwoods to the Sempervirens land trust fund, which eventually wants to transform the area into an extension of Castle Rock State Park. The deal came just in time, since about one-third of the trees on the property had already been marked for logging. But the demand for lumber has dropped because of the recession, and lumber companies are increasingly selling their properties to conservationists.
The land consists of two parcels: one 107-acre area adjacent to the Skyline-to-the-Sea hiking trail, and another 160-acre area plot in San Mateo.
The Sempervirens Fund, which purchased the land, was founded over a century ago by photographer Andrew P. Hill. His efforts to save the local redwood trees eventually formed the basis of California’s state park system. Read More at the Mercury News.
