Planning and Protection

Timber cruise and appraisal, hazard tree assessment and removal, property planning and forest conversion.

Timber Management Plan (TMP)

Rezoning to Timber Production Zone

A TMP is a guiding document for a landowner in managing their forested property.  The county of Santa Cruz requires submittal of a TMP when rezoning a property to Timber Production Zone.  A property must be zoned Timber Production prior to commercial harvesting.  The TMP on its own does not permit timber harvesting but is a required step in the harvest process if a property is not correctly zoned.  

Timber Cruise and Timber Appraisal

A timber cruise is a statistical analysis of a forest used to determine stand characteristics such as volume per acre, growth, size distribution and species composition.  A cruise is typically conducted by sampling 5-10% of the growing space on a property through a grid of appropriately spaced plots.  Plot size and spacing determines the intensity and accuracy of the cruise.  A timber appraisal combines cruise results with current market conditions to determine a value of the timber on a given property.  

Less Than 3-Acre Conversions

This permit allows landowners to convert a portion of their timberland to a non-timberland use.  Examples requiring this permit would be when a landowner chooses to convert a portion of their forest to a homesite, driveway, vineyard or orchard.  Timberland is defined by the State as any area currently growing trees of a commercial species (redwood and Douglas-fir in the Santa Cruz Mountains).  

Fire Hazard Protection

Forests can turn into a fire hazard at any moment during the dry season.  Maintaining a defensible space around the home is critical to protect against forest fires.  Spacing of overstory trees, removal of ladder fuels and appropriate clean-up can effectively address potential fire hazard near home sites.  

Hazard Tree Removal

Trees with potential to damage a home or other property infrastructure should be evaluated and removed or treated as necessary.