The Epstein Family Forest. Photo: pacificforest.org

In 1987, Dr. Bill Epstein, an eye surgeon, and his wife Sarah, of Ashland, Oregon bought 405 acres in the nearby Siskiyou Mountains.

405 acres is equivalent to 307 American football fields, laid side by side, or nearly five Disneyland Parks.

Those 405 acres had been stripped by logging and scared by wildfire, leaving only a handful of sickly conifers and dry, fire-prone brush. A once magnificent forest, was now in ruin.

But undeterred, the Epsteins began restoring this forest.

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Marty Main. Photo: washington.edu

For over 35 years, they worked with renowned forester Marty Main to replant native conifers, thin sickly, overcrowded conifers, clear dense brush, and conduct controlled fires.

Click photo to enlarge. Photo: oregonstate.edu

They also restored and protected the streams and wetlands, which now attract extensive, diverse wildlife native to the area.

Bill and Sarah strictly limit logging allowing only what will support long-term forest health, and generate the revenue needed to maintain the 405 acres.

And they established a permanent conservation easement with the Pacific Forest Trust, to protect the land from future development, and preserve its natural character.

The Epstein Family Forest, is described by the trust that manages it as "a rich mosaic of oak woodlands, conifer forests, riparian [river bank] corridors, and wetlands-supporting rare wildlife and clean water."

So, if ever you visit the Siskiyou Mountains, please enjoy this magnificent forest, preserved by the Epstein family's generosity and commitment to conservation.