Initially logged from 1918 to 1923, the Ranch's 400 acres of old growth forest have been recovering slowly ever since. As old loggers of this land tell,  railroad tracks were everywhere in these woods to haul the giant Redwoods some twenty five miles to Fort Bragg. Simple handsaws and axes were used to cut the trees down, while oxen teams -- sometimes 20 pair deep -- dragged the bounty down to the landings.

As amazing as it sounds, they cut every large tree on the property, dragging many down steep slopes. 

Without bulldozers, not a great deal of permanent damage was done to the forest and streams. They did set the forests on fire every fall to make it easier the following spring to bring the trees off the mountain, which scarred the trunks of the smaller trees not harvested -- and brought in the hardwoods, Oak and Madrone, that are now thickets in some areas.

Our land was first sold in 1955 for $5.00 an acre. Ranchers tried to raise sheep, cattle and goats without success, as forest soils do not support good grasses. Some made a meager lively hood by making "split stuff" rails, and grape stakes from the logs left on the ground from the initial logging.

We purchased our land in 1968 for $200 per acre. We are the very first people to earn a living by farming our land -- growing Christmas Trees.

We have just completed a non-industrial timber management plan for our timber stand, whereby we are harvesting only the smaller competing trees so that the larger healthier ones can eventually become the giants of old. Selected trees are going into a separate conservation easement and are never to be cut, so that eventually our land will revert back to a mixed species old growth forest with giant redwoods restored to the land.

Now, we need your help...

Charles and Vannae Rae Bello, and the RFI Team