It is hereby declared to be the policy of the state to establish and preserve an intensively managed, multifaceted research forest which is representative of forest activities as a living forest in Santa Cruz County within northern California’s coastal redwood belt. The coast redwoods, as the dominant tree species in this area, are a valuable natural resource and are unique in North America for their beauty, abundance, diversity, and public accessibility, and their extreme beauty and economic value requires special measures for their protection for the use, enjoyment, and education of the public.

It is the intent of the Legislature, in establishing the Soquel Demonstration State Forest, to provide an environment that will do all of the following:

(a) Provide watershed protection for local communities and base-line monitoring and studies of the hazards, risks, and benefits of forest operations and watersheds to urban areas.

(b) Provide public education and examples illustrating compatible rural land uses, including sustained yield timber production, as well as the historic development of timbering and forestry machinery, within the context of local community protection and nearby pressures.

(c) Provide a resource for the public, environmental groups, elected officials, environmental planners, the educational community, and the media as an open environment for the inspection and study of environmental education, forestry practices, and effects thereof.

(d) Protect old growth redwood trees.

(Added by Stats. 1987, Ch. 1338, Sec. 1.)