Chapter 4.

Land Use Element

Forest Resources

Background
Over 80% of Humboldt County is forested, with about 50% of this acreage in private
commercial timberland. Humboldt’s timber resource land base has not been subject to much
development pressure, with only 1,000 acres out of 983,000 coming out of TPZ (Timber
Production Zone), almost all of which was from the Eureka Community Plan update of 1995.
More significantly, “preservation” pressure has removed about 80,000 acres from timber
production since the inception of TPZ in 1977.

For the most part, though, the timber production land base has remained relatively stable, with
over 600,000 acres held by industrial timber companies, an area that has no houses and is
managed for long-term timber production. Although there have been many changes in the
timber industry over the last 20 years, Humboldt County continually leads the state in
production volume. With growing economic and environmental pressures, though, Humboldt
County’s timber production base is at a crossroads. The timber industry, like many others, has
seen trend toward increasing globalization, with fewer larger mills serving regional needs, and
divestitures of land holdings.

Timber can grow at the rate of at least 350 MM board feet per year on Humboldt’s industrial
timberlands, providing an opportunity for a continuing sustainable resource base. Choices exist
for stand management and harvesting practices that can provide for long term sustainable timber
production while conserving soil, water quality, and wildlife habitat.

Since managing timber harvest practices is primarily the domain of the State, the County’s role
in timberlands management lies largely in ensuring a continuing stable land base, limiting
incompatible uses, and managing land uses along the wildland-urban interface. Some policies are
included on harvesting regulations to provide guidance when the County is asked to weigh in on
these issues, such as supporting the broader use of non-industrial timber management plans by
the California Department of Forestry (CDF).

The County hosted numerous workshops throughout the General Plan Update process to
gather comments on proposed development scenarios and policy options. The protection of
resource lands and open space and a desire for infill- oriented affordable housing consistently
received significant public support. The importance of these agriculture and timber lands to the
County’s culture, quality of life, environment and economy has been repeatedly stressed
throughout the General Plan Update process.

After a series of public workshops in August of 2004, the Board of Supervisors provided
direction to staff when developing General Plan policies for the protection of resource lands and
open space. These forest resource policy options included:

• Additional policies to ensure adjacent uses are compatible with industrial timber
operations
• A policy statement to support for long term continued timber production
• A policy statement to protect beneficial uses of sensitive watersheds and critical
water supply areas

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 • A policy to address urban interface / timber issues in urban fringe areas.

This Plan recognizes the differences in management needs between large industrially managed
timber holdings and ranchland and small timber owners by providing distinct land use
designations for these uses. Increased policy guidance is provided for the wildland-urban
interface, support for increased use of long term timber management plans, and guidance on
timberland withdrawals.

Goal
Manage timberlands for long term sustainable timber production while conserving soil,
water quality, and wildlife habitat.

Policies
Timber Management/Legislative Directives

T1. Support broader use of non-industrial timber management plans (NTMP’s), including
raising the maximum acreage allowable under such plans and encouraging multiple landowner
cooperative plans.

T2. Support more effective and lower cost timber management regulations. Support
coordination and clarification of rules for less than 3 acre conversions and streamside
management areas.

T3. Support continuance and funding of forest improvement programs.

T4. Affirm and support the public services provided by County government which are
necessary in maintaining a viable forest products industry.

Land Use Policies

T5. Identify an Industrial Timberlands classification where residential uses and small parcels
may conflict with timber production.

T6. Withdrawal from Industrial Timber (IT)

This plan will support map amendments to withdraw lands from the IT designation where an
area can be identified which:
a) a portion of which would be suitable for non-timber use;
b) is adjacent to a roadway suitable for the intended use;
c) would not increase risk of wildland fire;
d) would be clustered to avoid increasing use conflicts between timber production and
other intended uses;
e) can be adequately serviced.

The remaining lands most suitable for continued timber production shall be retained for
permanent timber production through a conservation easement or other suitable instrument.
The withdrawal area shall receive a density credit of 1 unit per 160 acres of land retained for
permanent timber production, or per the average size of legally entitled parcels. Right to harvest
agreements shall be secured on lands proposed for residential uses.

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T7. Identify the areas of the wildland-urban interface where additional guidance for fire
management, road and subdivision design, haul routes, and watershed management may be
required to reduce use conflicts:
a. Require subdivisions in these areas to include forested buffers between residential
uses and adjacent timberlands.
b. Identify preferred log haul routes to be maintained and acknowledged by residential
users.
c. Require “Right to Harvest” (and other timber management activities such as
prescribed burns) acknowledgements in subdivision approval process.
d. Defer to CDF on timber harvest reviews. Comment only where County land use
patterns have significantly contributed to use conflicts at issue and where the County
can assist in dispute resolution.
e. Support maintenance of water quality and beneficial uses of water resources.
f. Recognize helicopter yarding as environmentally preferred despite noise impacts.
g. Require adequate structural fire response capabilities, compliance with Fire Safe
standards, and ongoing fire management programs.
h. Support targeted noticing of affected property owners for prescribed burn activities.

T8. Lot line adjustments of TPZ lands may be approved in order to consolidate by
merger logical management units. Such adjustments shall be in keeping with the spirit
and intent of TPZ and shall not result in net reduction of the area of TPZ available for
forest management.

Land Use Classifications

Timber Production (T)

This designation classifies lands primarily suitable for the growing, harvesting and production of
timber.

Includes non-industrially managed TPZ lands and areas of mixed TPZ/AE, and industrially
managed lands in and adjacent to CPA’s that may be non-contiguous with other management
units or form logical boundaries in planning areas.

Density Range/Minimum Parcel Size: 20 – 160 acres

Industrial Timber (IT)

This designation applies to lands that are industrially managed for timber production, primarily
outside CPA’s, and where presence of additional homesites would likely contribute to conflict
with such timber management; most of these lands are managed through a habitat conservation
plan (HCP). Minor amounts of non-industrially managed land may be included to avoid
fragmenting cohesive units. Residential use may be allowed as a conditionally permitted use
where necessary for caretaking purposes, or for compatible recreational use, does not exceed a
density of one unit per 600 acres, and records a right to harvest agreement for the subject
property.

Homesite Density: 0; Minimum Parcel Size: 160 acres

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Wildland-Urban Interface Overlay

This overlay designation applies to lands where planned or existing residential uses are adjacent
to forested hillside areas where use conflicts and fire safety issues are special concerns.

_____________________
TPZ = Timber Production Zone, AE= Ag Exclusive, CPA = Community Planning Area

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Agricultural Lands

Background
About 27% of the land (634,000 acres) in Humboldt County is classified by the USDA as being in
agriculture in their latest (2002) census, but this total includes large ranches which have a
significant amount of timber production contributing to their operations. Also, changing
methodologies and perspectives further complicate the issue of tracking farmland conversion.

What is clear is that agricultural operators face growing challenges to maintaining viable
operations. Rising costs, increasingly complex requirements, and growing development
pressures are components of change that stress the industry.

Agriculture is an important component of both the local economy and character. Yet,
conversion of farmland to other uses has been the trend in recent decades. Despite protection
policies in the Framework Plan, the conversion of agricultural lands to non-agricultural uses has
been occurring at an alarming rate. Approximately 3,000 to 5,000 acres of agricultural lands has
been converted to non-agricultural use each year since 1964. Rangeland has been converted to
both timber production and rural subdivision. Productive farmland near population centers is
often being replaced with poorer farmland that requires more energy and costs for
transportation, fertilization, and irrigation (Dyett and Bhatia, 2002).

Aging individual landowners is another trend in agriculture, particularly in cattle ranching

(Anderson, 2002). Many of these individual ownerships will go through some sort of
intergenerational transfer in the next 20 years. Often times with such property transfers, tracts
will be broken up and parcel sizes reduced. For some of these property transfers, unfunded
estate taxes could force some degree of subdivision.

As discussed earlier in the Forest Resources section, the importance of productive resource
lands to the County’s culture, quality of life, environment and economy has been repeatedly
stressed throughout the General Plan Update process. After a series of public workshops in
August of 2004, the Board of Supervisors provided direction to staff when developing General
Plan policies for the protection of resource lands and open space. These agricultural resource
policy options included:

• A policy that the County take a proactive approach to conservation of working

resource lands landscapes.
• A policy to ensure lot line adjustments and other development are consistent
with the General Plan densities notwithstanding underlying land units.
• A policy to allow flexibility for additional development at original
homesite areas (similar to RCC standards) for large ranches.

Although there are many factors contributing to the profitability of agriculture and the
sustainability of Humboldt’s agricultural economy, only a few can be controlled or manipulated.
These include regulation of the amount of farmland lost to rural and urban development,
insurance that subdivision of farmland will not adversely effect agricultural production,
prevention of land use conflict, and utilization of legal tools to maintain and preserve farm
acreage. Agriculture can benefit from having a stable land base, free of speculative land practices
and long term policy certainty.

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Goals
Promote and increase Humboldt County’s agricultural production and the economic
viability of its agricultural operations.

Conserve agricultural land for continued agricultural use.

Policies
Agricultural Management/Legislative Directives

A1. Support the Right-to-Farm Ordinance to protect agricultural activities within the County.

A2. Support predator control programs, when found necessary, to reduce livestock
depredation.

A3. Support private non-profit land trusts that provide agricultural conservation programs in
Humboldt County.

A4. Support vegetation management programs (controlled burning, etc.) when it is found that
they improve the availability and quality of rangeland for livestock and wildlife, reduce the hazard
of disastrous wildfires and increase water quality and quantity.

Land Use Policies

A5. Agricultural lands shall be conserved and conflicts minimized between agricultural and
non-agricultural uses through all of the following:

A. By establishing stable boundaries separating urban and rural areas and when
necessary, buffer areas to minimize land use conflicts.

B. By promoting in-filling to achieve a more logical urban/agricultural boundary.

C. By developing available lands not suited for agriculture, or those located within Urban
Development and Expansion Area, prior to the conversion of agricultural lands outside of
those areas.

D. By assuring that public service facility expansions and non-agricultural development

do not inhibit agricultural viability, either through increased assessment costs or degraded
air or water quality.

E. By broadening the utility of agricultural preserves and the Williamson Act

Program.

F. By allowing no residential subdivision of lands planned Agricultural Exclusive (AE).

G. By allowing lot line adjustments of AE, AG, and AGR lands only where planned
densities are met or there is no resulting increase in the number of building sites.

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A6. Utilize Agricultural Exclusive (AE), Agricultural Grazing (AG), and Ranchland (AGR) land
use classifications to ensure appropriate parcel sizes and land use for continuing availability of
the necessary agricultural land base.

A7. Withdrawal from Ranchland (AGR)

This plan will support map amendments to withdraw lands from the AGR designation where an
area can be identified which:
a) a portion of which would be suitable for non-agricultural use;
b) is adjacent to a roadway suitable for the intended use;
c) would not increase risk of wildland fire;
d) would be clustered to avoid increasing use conflicts between agricultural production
and other intended uses;
e) can be adequately serviced.

The remaining lands most suitable for continued agricultural production shall be retained for
permanent agricultural production through a conservation easement or other suitable
instrument. The withdrawal area shall receive a density credit of 1 unit per 160 acres of land
retained for permanent agricultural production, or per the average size of legally entitled
parcels. Right to farm agreements shall be secured for proposed residential uses.

Land Use Classifications

Agricultural Exclusive (AE)

This plan designation applies primarily to bottomland farms and lands that can be irrigated.
Typical uses include dairy, row crops, orchards, specialty agriculture and horticulture.

Areas mapped under this designation include the lands that support the above described
agricultural uses.

Density Range: 20 – 60 acres/unit

Agricultural Grazing (AG)

This designation applies to dry land grazing areas in relatively small land holdings which support
primarily cattle ranching, supplemented by timber harvest activities as part of the ranching
operation.

The Ranchland designation has been applied to the identified cohesive major cattle ranching
areas, with the balance of the lands in this use designated AG. Some areas formerly carrying the
AG designation have been re-designated to large lot rural residential to reflect apparent existing
use.

Density: 160 acres/unit

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Ranchland (AGR)
This designation applies to dry land grazing areas that support primarily cattle ranching, and
timber as part of the ranching operation.

The AGR has been applied to cohesive major cattle ranching areas and includes the lands that
support the above described agricultural use, as well as TPZ land that may be inter-mixed and
typically considered an integral part of the ranching operations. The balance of the lands in this
use in smaller management units are designated AG.

Density Range: 600 acres/unit

A8. Implementation of this land use designation does not require rezoning of lands under
Williamson Act contracts with TPZ and AE B5(160) zoning. A Williamson Act contract,
together with TPZ and AE (or AG)B5(160) zoning shall be deemed to be an appropriate
implementation of the Ranchland land use designation.

A9. Residential uses on TPZ lands within Agricultural Preserves shall be compatible with the
requirements of the Williamson Act and the local Guidelines.

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