California has more forests than any other state except Alaska. Forested lands in 2002 covered 40,233,000 acres (16,282,000 hectares).
Forests are concentrated in the northwestern part of the state and in the eastern Sierra Nevada. Commercial forestland in private hands was estimated at 17,781,000 acres (7,196,000 hectares) in 2002; an additional 18,515,000 acres (7,493,000 hectares) were US Forest Service lands, and 2,208,000 acres (893,600 hectares) were regulated by the Bureau of Land Management. In 2002, lumber production totaled 2.9 billion board feet (fourth in the US), mostly such softwoods as fir, pine, cedar, and redwood.
About half of the state's forests are protected as national forests and state parks or recreational areas. Although stands of coast redwood trees have been preserved in national and state parks since the late 19th century, only about 46% of the original 2 million acres (800,000 hectares) of redwoods between Monterey Bay and southern Oregon remain.
Reforestation of public lands is supervised by the National Forest Service and the California Department of Forestry. In 1924–25, more than 1.5 million redwood and Douglas fir seedlings were planted in the northwestern corner of the state. During the 1930s, the Civilian Conservation Corps replanted trees along many mountain trails, and the California Conservation Corps performed reforestation work in the 1970s.
As of 2003, there were 18 national forests in California. The total area within their boundaries in California amounted to 24,430,000 acres (9,886,821 hectares), of which 85% was National Forest System land.