San Francisco County forest added to the Network

Oak Woodlands in Golden Gate Park Joins Old-Growth Forest Network  

Photos by Susan Ives Communications

The Oak Woodlands Natural Area in Golden Gate Park received a special designation on March 14 as it was officially included into the Old-Growth Forest Network. The mission of the Old-Growth Forest Network (OGFN) is to connect people with nature by creating a national network of protected, mature, publicly-accessible, native forests. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every county in the United States that can sustain a forest, estimated to be 2,370 out of a total of 3,140 counties.

States that already have forests in the network include New York, Massachusetts, California, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Virginia and Florida. The Oak Woodlands Natural Area will join previously dedicated forests in California in the Old-Growth Forest Network. The California representatives thus far are:

• Humboldt County: Rockefeller Forest - Humboldt Redwoods State Park
• Monterey County: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
• Riverside County: Mount San Jacinto State Wilderness - Deer Springs Trail
• San Diego County: Palomar Mountain State Park
• San Mateo County: Sam McDonald County Park - Heritage Grove

Special thanks to the Friends of the Oak Woodlands and our volunteers system-wide, who each year give more than 185,000 hours of their time and energy to improving our parks and programs.