Arcata Community Forest

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According to the city of Arcata, "Arcata's Community Forest is comprised of 793 acres (3.21 km²). Over a 50 year period, 622 acres (2.52 km²) were obtained in several purchases. In November 2006, the 171-acre (0.69 km²) Sunny Brae Forest was added to the Community Forest. The City also owns and manages the 1,200-acre (4.9 km²) Jacoby Creek Forest. The City owns a total of 1,984 acres (8.03 km²) of forest."^[1]

Several purchases spanned fifty years, and (the forest) was dedicated to the public in 1955.

Until 1964, this land was used as the municipal water source. It is currently used for education, recreation, wildlife habitat, and sustainable timber harvesting. Many of Arcata's small streams possess their headwaters in the Arcata Community Forest.

In 1979, the citizens of Arcata passed the "Forest Management and Parkland Initiative." This was intended to develop an ecologically responsible long-term forest management program to generate income to develop and acquire parkland.

The objectives of the current forest management are:

To provide educational and recreational opportunities for the community
To sustainably harvest timber
To generate revenue so the city may acquire and develop new recreational facilities
To maintain and enhance the fisheries, watersheds, wildlife, and plant resources

The forest is popular with hikers, birders, and has a storied history of (illegal) camping that remains unpopular with some locals.