Dismantling environmental protections is in vogue, even those enhancing safety and economic prosperity. But California is bucking the trend and now on the verge of modernizing how its 14 Demonstration State Forests are managed. Cal Fire manages these public lands, which span 85,000 acres and 10 counties. Redwoods and other trees are routinely logged to pay for operations, according to a 1947 law that mandates “maximum sustained yield” – that’s simply a euphemism for removing as much lumber as possible without shrinking the forest. This extractive agribusiness model prioritizes revenues, often contrary to the goals of demonstration, recreation and forward-looking research. …In February, Assemblyman Chris Rogers, a Democrat from Santa Rosa, introduced AB 2494, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Information Center, to modernize and align forestry management with the state’s broader goals. The new science-based approach prioritizes restoration and tribal co-management. It decouples funding from timber operations, financing it instead through an existing lumber tax.