This interview is part of our Women’s History Month series- check back this week for stories from female forest landowners to inspire your forest stewardship journey!
Forests have been a part of Joy Jackman’s life since college, where she spent three summers as a US Forest Service forestry technician. Now, she leads meadow restoration and fuels reduction work on a 150-acre parcel that she and her husband own in Amador County. Managing this land has been a large undertaking for Jackman and her husband, but the process has led to a visibly healthier and more fire-resilient forest.
“It’s been a lot of work to do as much as we have on this land. But I’ve seen what neglect did to this forest, and I feel really grateful and proud of all the work we have done,” she shares.
See how Joy has engaged with local technical assistance, UC Cooperative Extension classes, and more below. Answers have been edited for clarity. All photos used courtesy of Joy Jackman.
Q: Could you please share about your forestland: where you are, forest type, ownership history, etc.
A: I bought this property in Volcano, which is in Amador County, with my husband around 5 years ago. I had lived and worked up here around 25-30 years ago, so when I was about to retire, I started looking in this area for a small, maybe 5-acre parcel. But while I was looking on Zillow, this 150-acre parcel kept coming up, and once I took a look at it, I fell in love. It was actually a foreclosure sale, since the previous owners had been using it as an illegal marijuana grow site. My husband and I were able to get this property at a very good price, and we have been working to restore it ever since.
This is a pretty diverse piece of property that has a bunch of different environments: it’s primarily oak and mixed conifer, but there’s also some meadows. There is about 1,000 feet of elevation gain, so at the top of the property there’s a kind of volcanic dome with a beautiful lookout.
Q: Do you have a favorite spot on your forestland? What do you like to do for fun on your land?
A: The top of the property is a special place. Up there is an open field with volcanic rocks, and we’ll sit on the benches and enjoy the amazing view.
When my husband and I get up to the property, we tend to just start working! It keeps us challenged, and owning this land has been a real learning experience for me. But we always try to take a hike up to the top when we are there.
Q: What is a management activity or project that you are most proud of? Is there a project that you’re looking forward to?
A: We’ve done a lot of thinning and mastication up here, and a big benefit of this work has been discovering all of these majestic oaks that we could never see before. We can also see the topography more clearly; we can see all these little ravines and ridges that were hiding because the forest was just too dense.
We’ve also been doing some meadow restoration in the area that the previous owners had used for their marijuana plants. With the help of Point Blue Conservation Science and the NRCS, I’ve been able to clear 2 acres for wildflowers. This spring we planted around 125 native plants, and we’re going to do that again in the fall.
Q: Are there obstacles to managing your land that most people wouldn’t expect? What about unexpected benefits?
A: I've had some snafus, and there have been times when I wanted to throw my hands up and quit the whole thing. There was an accident at the beginning where one of the hand crew workers got injured doing the thinning work. There was also an issue I ran into with property lines, where some work was accidentally implemented on my neighbor’s property because of differences between the county parcel map and my neighbor’s private surveyor map. There are so many little details that come up with this work.
But it's worth it. Just that feeling, to know that we're making the forest healthier, is wonderful. We also see so much more wildlife: bears, mountain lions, foxes, and skunks all come through. We can see and explore the forest now, and before you couldn't even walk through it.
Q: What are some resources that you found helpful when you began your landowner journey?
A: There's lots of things that are available which you might not know existed if you didn’t look for it. There’s the Forest Stewardship Workshops, Prescribed Burn Association meetings, and just talking to people. The Amador Fire Safe Council is great too. I went to a meeting recently where Scott Oneto from UC Cooperative Extension gave a talk on weed management techniques. He walked us through a series of 33 plots with different weed management treatments, and explained how successful each treatment had been. Going to classes and meetings like that has been really helpful.
You just network with other people and share experiences. That knowledge exchange is super important.
Q: Is there a piece of advice you would give to other women landowners?
A: It’s important to have people who are experienced and insured to do the work on your property. It can seem daunting, and it’s been a lot of work to do as much as we have on this land. But I’ve seen what neglect did to this forest, and I feel really grateful and proud of all the work we have done.
Owning and working on forestland had always been a dream for me. I worked as a forestry technician for the Forest Service for 3 summers in college, and I would have continued with a career in forestry if I hadn’t become a veterinarian. Restoring this forest has been a wonderful thing to do, and I’ve learned so much.
Q: What gives you hope for the future of California’s forests?
A: I think that there’s more awareness and education about forest management. Things can get political and goofy and weird, but you just have to keep looking for the good information that is out there. More people are aware of the need for things like fuel breaks, and that we need to manage this type of land if we are going to live in it.