Humboldt County Resource Conservation District

What Humboldt County Resource Conservation District does

Humboldt County Resource Conservation District (HCRCD) is a California Special District, non-regulatory subdivision of state government authorized under California Public Resources Code Division 9. Originally formed in March 1987 as the Eel River Resource Conservation District and expanded to countywide jurisdiction in June 1993, HCRCD's mission is to assist private and public landowners in the planning, design, and implementation of soil, water, and forest resource conservation practices across Humboldt County. The District's core service programs include Forest Health and Fire Resilience (vegetation treatment, shaded fuel breaks, prescribed fire, mechanical and manual fuels reduction), Agricultural Enhancement (soil health, carbon farming, on-farm conservation planning), Watershed Restoration (habitat and ecosystem restoration), and the Salt River Watershed program, which is one of the larger ecosystem restoration efforts on the U.S. West Coast in the lower Eel River. Active projects include the Mail Ridge Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project (~20,000 acres, 10-year horizon), the Greater Willow Creek Wildfire Resilience Project (9 priority fuels reduction sites), the Russ Creek and Centerville Slough Restoration Project ($17.3M contract for tide gate replacement and wetland restoration), and post-fire disaster recovery on Knob 2021 and Six Rivers Lightning Complex 2022 perimeters.

Technology at HCRCD is limited to standard enterprise tooling: ESRI ArcGIS for geographic information, Microsoft Office Suite, Intuit QuickBooks, Adobe Acrobat, and Google Workspace for email and collaboration. No proprietary platform, API, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed.

HCRCD's business model is fundamentally grant-funded. Revenue streams comprise government grants (U.S. Forest Service, CARCD, CAL FIRE, USDA NRCS, CDFA) and project implementation contracts. All conservation technical assistance, planning services, and project implementation support are provided at no cost to eligible private and public landowners. Go-to-motion is community-led: outreach is conducted through community meetings, Local Working Group meetings with NRCS, fire safe councils, partner networks, workshops, the District website, and direct landowner outreach via interest forms. HCRCD has been awarded over $5 million under the U.S. Forest Service's Community Wildfire Defense Grant, $4,476,444.32 from CARCD for post-fire resilience, $180,000 from the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and a $17.3M contract for the Russ Creek and Centerville Slough Restoration Project. Customers are split between private agricultural producers, non-industrial private forest landowners (SMBs), and public/government entities such as Green Diamond Resource Company and McKinleyville Community Services District (enterprises).

Name

Humboldt County Resource Conservation District

Legal name

Humboldt County Resource Conservation District

Website

https://humboldtrcd.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Humboldt County Resource Conservation District is a non-regulatory California Special District that delivers free conservation planning, forest health, agricultural enhancement, and watershed restoration services to private landowners, tribal partners, and public agencies in Humboldt County, funded primarily through federal and state grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Resource Conservation Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Forest Ecosystem Services & Carbon/Conservation Programs (AFAMAAAJ), Conservation, Restoration & Biodiversity Services (Habitat, Wetlands, Riparian) (IMAMAJAH), Watershed Protection & Water Quality Services (AFAMAMAB), Post-Fire Assessment & Rehabilitation (Erosion Control, Reseeding) (AFAMAEAH), Forest Road, Access & Infrastructure Services (Roads, Culverts, Bridges) (IMAMAJAL)

Keywords

• Natural resource conservation
• Watershed restoration services
• Wildfire resilience planning
• Agricultural conservation assistance
• Forest management programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Eureka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding: The District operates primarily through grant funding from government agencies including U.S. Forest Service, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), CAL FIRE, and USDA NRCS programs. Projects include the $5 million Community Wildfire Defense Grant and $4,476,444.32 post-fire disaster recovery grants.
2. Technical Assistance Services: Provides voluntary technical assistance to private and public landowners for soil, water, and forest resource conservation planning, design, and implementation. Services are provided at no cost to landowners through cooperative partnerships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Humboldt County Resource Conservation District provides voluntary technical assistance, conservation planning, design, and project implementation services to private and public landowners across Humboldt County for soil, water, and forest resource conservation. Its work spans four core programs — Forest Health & Fire Resilience, Agricultural Enhancement, Salt River Watershed Restoration, and Watershed Restoration — supplemented by major projects in wildfire resilience, post-fire disaster recovery, and ecosystem restoration delivered at no cost to landowners through grant funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forest Health and Fire Resilience Program Core program supporting forest health and sustainability through sound resource management, prioritization, and project funding. Helps communities reduce wildfire risk through shaded fuel breaks, prescribed fire, and mechanical and manual vegetation treatment. For landowners, fire safe councils, and community partners in Humboldt County.
• Agricultural Enhancement Program Program working with agricultural producers to implement new and innovative conservation practices on their lands, including soil health, carbon farming, and farm conservation planning. For farmers, ranchers, and agricultural producers in Humboldt County.
• Salt River Ecosystem Restoration Project One of the most ambitious ecosystem restoration projects on the west coast focused on improving habitats and agricultural production in the lower Eel River watershed. Includes sediment management, tidal wetland enhancement, and levee modifications. For agricultural producers, fisheries, and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Watershed Restoration Program Program restoring and enhancing habitats to promote diverse working landscapes and benefit fish, wildlife, and agriculture through ecosystem restoration projects. For landowners, public agencies, and ecosystem stakeholders in Humboldt County.
• Farm Conservation Plan Technical Assistance Provides free technical assistance to agricultural land managers for on-farm planning focused on conservation, soil health, and carbon sequestration. Plans can be used to seek funding for implementation. For agricultural producers in Humboldt County.
• Mail Ridge Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project Large-scale vegetation treatment project covering up to 20,000 acres over 10 years along a 32-mile ridgeline in southern Humboldt County. Uses mechanical/manual treatment, prescribed fire, and herbicide application. For landowners, fire safe councils, and CAL FIRE partners.
• Greater Willow Creek Wildfire Resilience Project Multi-phase community wildfire resilience initiative implementing 9 priority fuels reduction projects in Willow Creek, Salyer, and Hawkins Bar areas, funded by US Forest Service Community Wildfire Defense Grant of over $5 million. For community partners, fire safe councils, and landowners.
• Russ Creek and Centerville Slough Restoration Project Wetland restoration project involving tide gate replacement with fish-friendly gates, additional wetland restoration, setback berm modifications, and Centerville Road raising near Ferndale, CA. For fisheries, agricultural producers, and ecosystem stakeholders.
• Post-Fire Disaster Recovery Projects Post-fire resilience work on non-federal lands impacted by Knob 2021 and Six Rivers Lightning Complex 2022 wildfires, providing technical assistance and implementing post-fire recovery treatments. Funded by CARCD grant of $4,476,444.32. For non-industrial private forest landowners and impacted communities.
• Carbon Farm and Soil Health Planning Technical assistance program inviting agricultural land managers interested in conservation, soil health, and carbon sequestration to receive free on-farm planning. HCRCD selects 10–16 land managers to receive plans. For farmers and ranchers in Humboldt County.
• Non-Industrial Forest Landowner Forest Management Plan Program Technical assistance program where Registered Professional Foresters (RPFs) create Forest Management Plans for private non-industrial forest landowners at no cost to the landowner. For non-industrial private forest landowners in Humboldt County.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully completed multiple ecosystem restoration projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrimary technical services provided through cooperative partnership with NRCS. The District works through the NRCS Eureka Field Office to deliver conservation programs to private landowners in Humboldt County.
• Trinity County Resource Conservation District (TCRCD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerClose partnership on Six Rivers Lightning Complex 2022 Post-Fire Recovery project, as wildfire spanned across Humboldt and Trinity counties. Jointly conducting post-fire assessments, forest management plans, and vegetation management activities.
• Yurok TribemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for Manual Fuels Treatment in Pecwan Watershed Project conducted on Yurok Tribal lands. Work performed in close coordination with the Yurok Tribe with consideration for employing Yurok Tribal members.
• Willow Creek Fire Safe CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for Greater Willow Creek Wildfire Resilience Project driving community-based wildfire resilience efforts in Willow Creek, Salyer, and Hawkins Bar areas.
• Willow Creek Community Services DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Greater Willow Creek Wildfire Resilience Project for community wildfire resilience implementation.
• Watershed Research and Training CentermajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner for Greater Willow Creek Wildfire Resilience Project contributing to wildfire resilience strategy implementation.
• Lower Trinity River Prescribed Burn AssociationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for prescribed fire training and implementation as part of community wildfire resilience initiatives.
• McKinleyville Community Services DistrictmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCEQA responsible agency for McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project on Community Forest lands (approximately 598 acres). Joint implementation partnership with HCRCD as CEQA lead agency.
• Green Diamond Resource CompanymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivate landowner partner for McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project on approximately 3,043 acres. Partnering with HCRCD to implement vegetation treatments for wildfire risk reduction and forest health improvement.
• Southern Humboldt Fire Safe CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Mail Ridge Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project for vegetation treatment implementation in southern Humboldt County.
• CAL FIRE Humboldt-Del Norte UnitmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState fire protection partner for Mail Ridge Forest Health and Wildfire Resilience Project supporting vegetation treatment program implementation.
• North Coast Growers AssociationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for joint workshops including Pollinator Workshop 'Bees and Bee-yond: Cultivating Resilient Farms' at Humboldt Agricultural Center.
• Point Blue Conservation ScienceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner for agricultural workshops and Point Blue Roots Program funding for restoration and habitat improvement projects on working lands.
• Mattole Restoration CouncilmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for Marshall Prescribed Fire Project implementation, providing chainsaw trainings, hosting prescribed fire training exchanges (TREX), and coordinating training opportunities for local fire practitioners.
• Wildlands ConservancyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOwner of Eel River Estuary Preserve where Russ Creek and Centerville Slough Restoration Project bidder conferences are held at the Headquarters Barn.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD): Statewide association that channels federal and state funding to California's 98 RCDs, including HCRCD. Functions as the umbrella network and primary grant conduit (e.g., the $4.47M CARCD grant to HCRCD), making it the closest comparable umbrella organization in the same RCD system.
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Federal conservation agency with whom HCRCD maintains a core cooperative partnership through the Eureka Field Office. NRCS provides technical backbone and federal program access (RCPP, EQIP, CSP) that HCRCD leverages; comparable as the federal counterpart in the same conservation delivery system.
• CAL FIRE: California's state fire agency and a major funder/partner of HCRCD's wildfire resilience and vegetation treatment work. Operates overlapping forest health, defensible space, and fuel reduction programs at much larger scale, with HCRCD often implementing CAL FIRE-funded projects on the ground.
• National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD): National umbrella organization for the country's 3,000+ conservation districts (the federal counterpart to California's RCD system). Comparable as the broader network HCRCD's RCD model plugs into and as a source of national policy, funding, and program design that shapes HCRCD's operating environment.

Emerging players

• Point Blue Conservation Science: Conservation science partner of HCRCD on agricultural workshops and the Point Blue Roots Program for restoration on working lands. Comparable as a science-driven nonprofit delivering conservation planning, monitoring, and habitat improvement on agricultural and forest lands in the same North Coast region.

Others

• Green Diamond Resource Company: Major private timberland owner and active HCRCD project partner on the McKinleyville Vegetation Treatment Project (3,043 acres). Comparable as the largest commercial forest landowner in the region and a key counterpart for vegetation treatment and forest health work, though operating on the landowner side rather than as a conservation services provider.

Direct peers

• Siskiyou Resource Conservation District: Neighboring California RCD serving Siskiyou County. Operates the same RCD model under California Public Resources Code Division 9, delivering voluntary conservation, fire resilience, and agricultural assistance to landowners, and frequently partners with adjacent RCDs on regional wildfire and restoration projects.
• Mattole Restoration Council: Local restoration organization in Humboldt County that partners with HCRCD on the Marshall Prescribed Fire Project. Comparable as a community-based, grant-funded organization delivering conservation and fuels treatment services in the same North Coast geography.
• Trinity County Resource Conservation District: Adjacent California RCD partnered with HCRCD on the Six Rivers Lightning Complex 2022 Post-Fire Recovery project. Operates the same RCD model of voluntary landowner conservation assistance, technical services, and grant-funded project implementation under California Public Resources Code Division 9.
• Watershed Research and Training Center: Regional partner of HCRCD on the Greater Willow Creek Wildfire Resilience Project. Comparable as a Northern California nonprofit delivering watershed restoration, fuels reduction, and community-based natural resource work in the same Klamath-Six Rivers geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php?id=100095213397872
• Instagraminstagram.com/humboldtrcd
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humboldt-county-resource-conservation-district

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Humboldt County Resource Conservation District