Fact Sheet

The California State Community Economic Revitalization Team (CERT) is an integral part of the Northwest Forest Plan. The California State CERT helps the Northern California communities affected by the reduction in timber harvesting by playing a vital role in helping the region move away from timber dependency and towards economic diversity.

The California State CERT is only one of a number of national components formed at the state, regional and federal level. The State CERT is comprised of local, state and federal officials whose goal is to maximize local participation in the recovery efforts and ensure those individuals most affected by the declining timber harvest remain the focus of the recovery effort. The California CERT's priority is to get loans, grants, training and jobs out to those timber communities and create an atmosphere for sustainability and longevity beyond the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative’s existence.

The State CERT was created to help implement the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative of The Northwest Forest Plan. The Forest Plan is in response to Judge Dwyer’s injunction on logging within the habitat of the Northern Spotted Owl.

The Forest Plan is a step towards a comprehensive policy that would recognize the importance of the forests and timber to both the economy and employment while recognizing the importance of old growth forests, rivers, streams and wildlife to America.

The plan is two-fold, composed of a Forest Management Plan and an Economic Adjustment Initiative. The Forest Management Plan focuses on the management of federal lands within Oregon, Washington and California. The Northwest Economic Adjustment Imitative confronts the economic issues facing these impacted regions.

It is under the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative that the State CERT's were formed. In this initiative, President Clinton promised Oregon, Washington and California $1.2 billion over a three year period with each state guaranteed a 15% floor and the remainder to be allotted based on demonstrated need. The money is to aid the affected regions in their transition away from timber dependency to a more diversified economy. In November of 1996 the program was extended for an additional two years and efforts are currently underway in Washington to extend the program through November, 2000.

The State CERT facilitates federal policy making by offering a way for nonfederal officials to provide information to federal officials. Nine federal agencies, four state agencies, nine county supervisors, and a representative of Native American Tribes are appointed by Governor Pete Wilson and sit on the California State CERT. This diversity of individuals allows for critical information such as community structure, local goals and strategies for the development of a diverse economic base to be communicated.

The State CERT also encourages the coordination of federal, state and local resources. If federal officials decide to support a project, state and local officials can then coordinate the accessibility of matching funds or complementary projects.

The State CERT not only directs information between counties and agencies, but also helps implement programs which turn community based ideas into projects. While in some instances the most severely affected communities have lacked the expertise or manpower to turn ideas into feasible projects, through the infrastructure created by the CERT these communities can now get the needed technical assistance to transform their ideas into projects.

In each county the economic development goals have been integrated with potential project ideas and forwarded by county residents to the State CERT and the appropriate federal agencies directly involved in the economic development side of the President's Forest Plan. The State CERT acts as a clearinghouse for potential projects: accepting projects from counties, assigning them a reference number, and tracking them through the funding process.

The counties included in the California State CERT are: Shasta, Tehama, Humboldt, Glenn, Trinity, Lake, Del Norte, Mendocino and Siskiyou.

The California State CERT has been meeting since late 1993. As of July, 1998, 1573 proposals have been received by the State CERT. Already $137,268,657 has been allocated to projects in Northern California. This money includes economic development grants, small business zones, job training money and funds to put displaced loggers to work on restoration projects.

The State CERT meets quarterly and discusses current issues facing both the funding agencies and counties. County Supervisors update the State CERT on events, changes, and concerns in their communities. Federal and State Agencies update the State CERT on various projects funded and on funding availability. Information is shared and all involved leave the meeting more aware of the limitations and needs both in the impacted communities and in the various agencies.

The goal of the State CERT is to minimize the negative impacts and maximize the positive opportunity associated with the changed use of federal resources.