In 2024, California lost another one million acres to wildfires and that does not count the tragedy across Los Angeles earlier this year. This alarming trend underscores the urgent need for sustained reforestation efforts to restore our forests and protect our communities. At Mast, we continue to address this challenge head-on. One of the ways we’re doing so is by increasing the supply of wild conifer seed gathered from across the West and processed at our two nurseries, Silvaseed and Cal Forest. CAL FIRE awarded Cal Forest a grant in 2024 to boost this capacity.
“The wildfires are not what they used to be 50 to 60 years ago. When these intense, raging wildfires happen, it’s just a charred moonscape, essentially, that has no chance of regeneration. There’s no trees left. There’s no seed in the ground left, and so we have to go put seedlings in the ground to actually turn it back into a forest after a fire like that occurs.” – Nik Larum, GM of Mast’s Cal Forests Nurseries
CAL FIRE’s Role in Reforestation
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) is the state agency responsible for wildfire prevention, forest management, and emergency response across California’s 33 million acres of forestland. While best known for battling wildfires, CAL FIRE is also deeply involved in restoration efforts—investing in solutions that reduce wildfire risk and accelerate reforestation to make forests more resilient to future fires.
One of these initiatives, the CAL FIRE Business Workforce Development Grant, awarded $592,500 to Cal Forest Nurseries to enhance seed collection and processing capacity. By funding critical equipment upgrades, this grant increases our efficiency and scaling up our ability to grow millions of climate-adapted seedlings for fire-affected areas.
This investment paves the way for large-scale reforestation across the state, providing the necessary resources to help California’s forests recover and become more resilient to future fires.
Strengthening California's Reforestation Infrastructure
With support from CAL FIRE, Cal Forest Nurseries is significantly expanding its ability to collect and process conifer cones and seeds, paving the way for large-scale reforestation across the state. Our partnership with CAL FIRE underscores the collaborative effort required to address the escalating wildfire crisis.
Justin Britton, Forester II - Wood Products & Bioenergy at CAL FIRE, highlights the significance of this work:
"CAL FIRE is committed to supporting partners like Cal Forest Nurseries and Mast Reforestation whose expertise and infrastructure can help us meet the immense reforestation needs. We’re proud to see results from the grant already underway, as equipment upgrades have supported Mast in modernizing and scaling their efforts further. We’re excited to partner with Mast as they help restore California’s forests and create lasting environmental benefits."
Expanding Seed Processing Capabilities
“The CAL FIRE grant enabled Cal Forest to process an impressive 100 million seeds last year alone.”
This monumental effort translates to the potential growth of seedlings capable of reforesting over 300,000 acres—an area about twice the size of the city of Chicago. By investing in three state-of-the-art seed processing machines, Cal Forest has grown its processing capacity, ensuring that more seeds are ready for planting in fire-affected areas.
As we scale our seed collection and reforestation efforts, it’s critical to recognize the broader challenge of restoring forests lost to fire. In the U.S., forests are disappearing at an alarming rate—recent studies indicate that about 6 million acres of burned forestland will not regenerate on its own without intervention, out of a total 24 million acres in need of reforestation. That’s an area larger than Massachusetts that has burned and won’t recover naturally. This is why reforesting with climate resilience and wildfire adaptation in mind is more urgent than ever.
CAL FIRE's Forester II, Justin Britton, collaborated with Cal Forest Nurseries' Manager, Nik Larum, on this expansion.
Economic and Environmental Benefits
The expansion of our seed processing capabilities doesn't just benefit our forests; it also brings substantial economic advantages to local communities. By expanding our operations, we're creating specialized workforce opportunities in seed collection, processing, and nursery management. This growth supports local economies, particularly in rural and fire-impacted areas, providing sustainable employment and fostering community resilience.
Photo courtesy CAL FIRE.
The seeds processed at Cal Forest will be grown into seedlings that will repopulate areas devastated by wildfires, delivering clear and direct environmental benefits to California ecosystems. These new forests will play a crucial role in sequestering carbon, enhancing air and water quality, and providing habitats for diverse wildlife.
A Unified Approach: From Seed to Seedling
Our vertically integrated approach ensures that every step of the reforestation process is meticulously managed.
Cal Forest’s sister nursery, 150-year-old Silvaseed Company, located in Roy, Washington, is a close collaborator and connected link in the Mast forestry supply chain. Seeds collected and processed at Silvaseed are often transported to Cal Forest for propagation, and vice versa. This collaboration allows us to maintain a robust and diverse seed inventory, tailored to the specific ecological needs of various regions across the West.
On average, Cal Forest cultivates approximately 20 million seedlings annually (recently Mast produced more than 36 million seedings in a year across both of our nurseries!). With the recent enhancements made possible by the CAL FIRE grant, the nursery is on track to substantially increase this 20M number, ensuring that more fire-affected areas can receive the seedlings they desperately need.
Photo courtesy CAL FIRE.
Together, with the support of CAL FIRE and our dedicated community, we're taking significant strides toward restoring California's forests, ensuring a healthier environment for generations to come.
For more information on CAL FIRE's grant programs and how they're supporting reforestation efforts, visit their official grants page.
Join Us in Bringing Back Forests
Restoring forests is a collective effort, and we invite you to be a part of this vital mission. Whether you're a landowner seeking seedlings for your property or an individual passionate about supporting reforestation, there are several ways to get involved:
- Purchase Seedlings for 2025: Secure high-quality seedlings for your reforestation projects by contacting us.
- Support Mast's Reforestation Initiatives: Learn how your contributions can make a difference.