The Land

Ridgewood Ranch encompasses 5,000 acres of diverse ecosystems including old growth Redwood forest, oak woodlands, conifer forest, seasonal creeks, and much more.

The property is centered around a valley where most of the people live and agricultural work takes place. Hills rise up around this valley, dividing the Eel River and Russian River watersheds, with the Eastern edge rising up to Laughlin Peak. Highway 101 runs through the Eastern side of the ranch, and at the North end the highway reaches its highest point from Canada to Mexico.

Livestock grazing takes place on 1,600 acres of this land, a sustainable timber management plan oversees 2,000 acres of fir trees, and 1,000 acres of oak woodlands are conserved in an easement. We capture rainfall in a large pond that is used for irrigating 21 acres of pasture but also used for swimming through the summer. Our average rainfall is supposedly 52 inches and it falls from October to May, though we have learned that there is no such thing as an average year anymore!