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Humboldt county has a rich and complex history with logging and land management. Before European settlement, the redwood forests provided shelter and resources to the native people in and around the coasts and mountains of Humboldt County. The Yurok people utilized intentional burning and selective harvesting to manage the meadows and woodlands around the Klamath River. Newcomers also prized redwood for it's high-quality lumber, and with their rapidly growing demand, the scale of harvest changed drastically.

White settlers in the area quickly realized the commercial potential of the enormous trees, and soon large-scale logging operations were establishing themselves and expanding, as the technology of the day evolved to meet growing demands. By the last half of the nineteenth century, the woodlands of the North coast were quickly changing as a result of large-scale logging operations, and as a result the landscape in and around Humboldt County was forever changed.

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