Redwoods Rising Economic Analysis

Humboldt Redwoods State Park (Photo: California State Parks)

Restoring the Forest. Strengthening the Economy.

On California’s North Coast, crews are restoring salmon-bearing streams, improving forest health and repairing decades of damage from legacy logging roads. This work is the heart of Redwoods Rising — a restoration initiative spanning 70,000 acres of public lands in the ancestral territories of the Chilula, Yurok and Tolowa Peoples.

A new economic analysis by Parks California, the BMO Climate Institute, the North Coast Redwoods District of California State Parks and the Ecological Workforce Initiative finds that this restoration work also is a meaningful economic driver for Del Norte and Humboldt counties — and the results are clear.

Projected total economic impact, Del Norte and Humboldt counties, 2026–2030

$ 0 million

Positions supported over five years — an average of 215 per year

0 jobs

Annual wages for restoration workers — above per capita income for both counties

$42K–$ 0 K

This research confirms what we see every day — restoration work creates real careers and opens doors that many people didn't know were there. Programs like our Career Pathways grants help people see parks as more than places to visit — they're places to grow, contribute and build a future. When we invest in people alongside the land, we make both stronger.

— Kindley Walsh Lawlor, president and CEO Parks California

Restoration jobs offer a different path — skilled, trade-work positions that don’t require a college degree, pay well and support families in a sector that will need workers for decades to come.

The analysis focuses on the North Coast Redwoods District, but the project types — forest health, watershed restoration and nature-based infrastructure — are common across California’s park system, offering lessons that can inform future investments statewide.

Learn more

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