We love telling stories. Stories that show how the impossible becomes possible. Stories about resilience, transformation, diversity, and hope. Stories that share the importance of building connections to nature, and that celebrate the people that dared to create change.
We’re moved by parks’ and public lands’ transformative effect on people and communities—the leaders who envision a park and emerge energized and ready to confront even greater challenges; the kids who feel included in the participatory design process and come to see themselves as part of a larger, purposeful collective; and the seniors who share their wisdom and leave a legacy of public land for future generations to cherish.
Even better than writing these stories, is sharing them with people like you, Friend, in Land&People. Land&People is Trust for Public Land’s twice-yearly member magazine that’s full of inspiring and impactful stories, beautiful imagery, and unforgettable people and places.
Today, we’re thrilled to share a story with you from our last spring/summer issue. “The Giving Trees” showcases how working forests offer a bounty of benefits, ensuring sensitive ecological systems prosper while local economies thrive.
One such place is Chimacum Ridge Community Forest, an 853-acre forest in Chimacum, Washington. Together with Jefferson Land Trust, TPL recently acquired this naturally diverse woodland that also doubles as a working forest. The model, with Jefferson Land Trust poised to harvest trees sustainably, preserves a way of life that has dominated this scenic stretch west of Seattle for generations. It protects logging and milling jobs. It provides locally sourced timber for woodworkers and craftspeople in the region. And it demonstrates an ecologically sensitive approach to managing timberlands.
Chimacum Ridge is one of several TPL projects that illustrate how working lands are conservation lands, functioning with and for the community.
