vol. 6, no. 1 layout final - forests forever › ... › summer02.pdfalong at precisely the time of...

Marking a victory in thee f f o r t t o r e s t o r e J a c k s o nDemonstration State Forest, alawsuit has halted logging onthe land until a new forest man-a g e m e n t p l a n a n dEnvironmental Impact Report(EIR) are approved.

Located three hours northof the Golden Gate Br idge ,Jackson is situated on the coastb e t w e e n t h e t o w n s o fMendocino and Fort Bragg.

A t 5 0 , 0 0 0 a c re s i t i s t h elargest of California’s eightstate-owned forests and theonly one home to a significantpercentage of mature second-growth redwoods.

Last year Forests Foreverdecided to make restoring theforest its primary campaign.

“The amount o f qual i tyopen space available to the pub-l i c h a s l a g g e d f a r b e h i n dC a l i f o r n i a ’ s p o p u l a t i o ngrowth,” said Mark Fletcher,president of Forest Forever ’sboard of directors.

“Redwood areas such asJackson are highly valued forrecreation, tourism and wildlifehabitat. And those uses addmuch more to the local econo-my than timber.”

While the temporary halt in

Volume 6, Number 1 The newsletter of Forests Forever Summer, 2002

The Watershed

Logging threatens largest state-owned forest

A voter initiative that wouldprotect California’s oldest treesfrom logging recently has beenintroduced.

Known as the Heritage TreePreservation Act, the initiativewould protect trees that existedduring or before 1850, the yearCalifornia became a state.

The initiative is backed by acoalition of environmental andrel igious groups cal led the

Citizens’ Campaign for Old-Growth Preservation (CFOG)and has garnered a healthyslew of celebrity endorsers,including Bonnie Raitt, NatalieMerchant and James Taylor.

Forests Forever is one of thecoalition’s members, and hasbeen helping gather signaturesfor the initiative since Jan. 28,collecting about 1000.

On May 30 state Sen. Don

Perata (D-Oakland) introduceda bill calling for the people ofCalifornia to have the opportu-nity to vote on passage of theheritage tree act.

The measure would bringsweeping protection for old-growth t rees in the s ta te ofCalifornia. Existing protectionfor the state’s old-growth isextremely spotty, and leaves themajority of ancient trees vulner-

able to removal.“Most people don’t know

that we’re st i l l cutt ing old-growth, and when they find outthey don’t think it’s an accept-a b l e p r a c t i c e , ” s a i d C F O GE x e c u t i v e D i re c t o r S u s a nMoloney.

The support for old-growthprotection is wide-ranging,

Initiative would preserve state’s oldest trees

Anti timber-subsidy bill moves ahead...3

Wilderness road ban in peril...3

Blue oak forest saved by voters...4

Oak disease may threaten redwoods...4

Activist profile: Kathy Bailey...5

Inside The WatershedThe facts on forest fires...6

Gala event raises $22,000...8

Forests Forever targeted in PL suit...10

Jackson Campaign: Small group, major progress...12

FRIF: Public money for private gain...13

Loose Leaf Briefs...14

see “Old-growth,” p. 11 col. 2

A clear-cut in Jackson Demonstration State Forestphoto courtesy of the Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest

see “Jackson,” p. 12, col. 1

from the Executive Director...

Smokey the Bear should have said,“Only you can prevent all-out suppres-sion of natural forest fires.”

But when the spokesperson is a car-toon character beloved by American kidsgoing back to the Baby Boom, it is toughfor us to think such a sage could bewrong.

Anyway, the “Only you...” line abovedoesn’t have much of a ring to it.

I t has taken decade a f ter recentdecade of intense wildfires for Americansto begin to see the true problem underly-ing our forest fires. And that problemessentially is:

Forest fires have become more fre-quent and more intense because of indus-t r i a l l o g g i n g p r a c t i c e s a n dgovernment-sponsored fire-suppressionprograms.

At this writing summer 2002 is said tobe the worst fire season in the West inmany years. Each summer seems, by allreports, worse than the last.

In forests usually lightning sparksfire– a thunderhead drives a shaft oflightning down the trunk of a fir tree,igniting a bed of dried needles at its base.

But because it is often raining whenlightning strikes, the fire lies down, mov-ing slowly and often only a few feet high.Rainfall can help douse the fire. It burnsin a mosaic pattern, leaving islands ofunburned habitat as refuges for plantsand for animals which sometimes grazeunconcerned as a fire blazes nearby.

Having co-evolved with fire overeons, Western forests and many of theirresident species today are considered“fire-dependent.” Giant sequoias’ conescan be opened by squirrels or beetles, butthe rain of seeds is 10 to 100 times greaterwhen fire is the agent. Sequoia seedlingsdo not do well in acidic soil, but fire willneutralize the acidity.

Take fire out of the picture and forestcomposition itself can change dramati-cally. Forests in which fire-resistant treesonce held sway, outcompeting the fire-prone species, now change their makeup.Thin-barked White fir now takes overwhere thicker-barked Ponderosa ruled.The White fir provides a fire ladder to

bring erstwhile ground-hugging firesinto the canopy; this can kill trees muchmore effectively than burning throughbark ever could before.

So one irony is, fire suppression leadsto more and worse fires.

Suppression of all fires became ForestService policy in 1905 but really took offwith the Smokey campaign in the ‘40s.Coinciding with this was a new push bytimber companies (having liquidatedmuch of their private-lands inventory) toextract commercial timber from federalforests, providing raw material for the

post-war housing boom.The industry has cranked up its PR

machine lately to promote its messagethat more logging is the best preventionfor forest fire– after all you’re reducingfuel, it sounds like common sense. AndBig Timber insists that environmentalistshave blocked the way– ideologues benton stopping the chainsaws even if itmeans unleashing catastrophic fire onour ecosystems and communities.

In a recent San Francisco Chronicleop-ed headlined, “Tree hugging– a fatalembrace,” National Review editor RichLowry led off, “How do you tell if some-one is a true friend of the forest? He’sprobably the one with the chainsaw.”

The notion is that, by a happy coinci-

dence, the timber industry has comealong at precisely the time of Nature’sgreatest need and that by doing morecutting we have a win-win for loggingcompanies and forests.

This ruse ignores the fact that timbercompanies take the biggest trees, whichdo the most to suppress fire naturally,thereby drying out the forest. The opera-tors leave small trees and sun-baked pilesof slash and debris behind.

What we should be doing instead ofthe conventional fire-suppression pro-grams is: a) recognize that wildfire is anatural process, important in the evolu-tion of forests and wildlife, 2) acknowl-edge that we cannot really stop wildfire,only anticipate and guide it, 3) practice alimited “let-burn” policy, as is done onmany federal wilderness areas, 4) avoidbuilding in fire zones, such as SouthernCalifornia chaparral, much the way we(should) avoid building in flood plains,and 5) leave more of the big trees stand-ing.

Thankfully, attitudes are changing.Controlled burns are now routine inSequoia-Kings Canyon and Yosemitenational parks. Burning is increasinglypracticed in other agencies as well.

Since so much of what we’re dealingwith here concerns American culture,here is a trivia question to wrap up–Roderick Nash, UC Santa Barbara profes-sor and author of “Wilderness and theAmerican Mind,” called it the “mostimportant document in American cultur-al history on the subject of fire-manage-ment policy.” What is it?

The hints are, like Smokey it is some-thing we grew up with and loved. And itfrightenend the public by overdramatiz-ing forest fires.

The answer is in a small box on page15.

– Paul Hughes

Governmental fire-suppression policy:Smokey the Bear was not right after all

“It has takendecade after recentdecade of intensewildfires forAmericans to beginto see the true prob-lem underlying ourforest fires.”

Summer, 20022 The Watershed

Summer, 2002 3

A Clinton administration ban on roadbuilding in 58.5 million acres of U.S. wilder-ness would become law under legislationrecently introduced in Congress.

The bill , which essentially mirrorsPresident Bill Clinton’s ban, was intro-duced in June by Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Washington) and Sherwood Boehlert(R-New York).

The legislation would prohibit loggingin federal roadless areas, except in rare cir-cumstances, and would halt the creation ofnew leases for oil and gas drilling.

Clinton put the original “roadless rule”into effect in 2001 following three years ofanalysis and public outreach. The BushAdministration has not upheld the rule,however, and instead has steadily weak-ened protection for the roadless areas.

“The Bush Administration officials saidthat they were going to uphold (the road-less rule), but they haven’t,” said CaliforniaWilderness Coalition CommunicationsDirector Keith Hammond. “In the mean-time the Forest Service is planning tons of

timber sales in roadlessareas that are supposedto be protected underthe rule.”

The timber industryf o u g h t h a rd a g a i n s tClinton’s road ban. Justtwo days before it was tobecome law last year, afederal judge in Idahoblocked the rule fromtaking effect.

With the judge’s injunc-t i o n i n p l a c e , t h e U . S .Forest Service in July 2001 issued interimo rd e r s e x e m p t i n g A l a s k a ’ s To n g a s sNational Forest and 11 other nationalforests from the ban.

Under the interim directive the ForestService will review logging and road con-struction projects in the remaining roadlessareas, leaving protection for those parcelsuncertain.

In addition, the Forest Service eliminat-ed a section of its own rules stating that

there must be a compelling reason for aroad to be built in a wilderness area. Theagency also removed a requirement that anEnvironmental Impact Statement be con-ducted before a road is built. This changeallows Forest Service managers to decidewhether to conduct an environmentalreview.

Hammond said the new Forest Serviceorders leave critical portions of California

Bill to end timber subsidies gains momentumAfter months of campaigning for a bill

to eliminate commercial logging on federalpublic lands, Forests Forever in 2001 suc-ceeded in persuading two members ofCongress, California Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-San Jose) and George Miller (D-Concord),to co-sponsor the legislation.

Called the National Forest Protectionand Restoration Act, House Resolution(HR) 1494 would abolish subsidies thathelp fund timber company road building innational forests.

The savings would then be channeledinto a program to restore damaged nationalforest lands.

Authored by Rep. Cynthia McKinney(D-GA) with lead Republican co-authorRep. Jim Leach (R-IA), the restoration actalso would fund the development of alter-native fibers for paper and building materi-als, create jobs by starting a scientificallybased forest-restoration program, andreplace any lost timber revenues to countiesfor schools and roads.

“In California most of the nationalforests are in the Sierra Nevada,” said PaulHughes, Forests Forever executive director.“There the economy has shifted dramatical-

ly away from extractive uses, such as log-ging, and toward activities such as tourism.In large part, this trend reflects a change inpublic attitudes in favor of forest protec-tion.”

So far 112 members of Congress haveco-sponsored the legislation, thanks to theefforts of Forests Forever and other mem-bers of the National Forest ProtectionAlliance (NFPA). Typically about 150 con-gressional sponsors are needed for a bill tohave a chance at passing.

“We’ve definitely shown we’re increas-ing our base of support in Congress,” saidNFPA campaign coordinator Jake Kreilick.

Forests Forever began working on therestoration act campaign in October of2000. By the end of 2001 the organizationhad collected and mailed 5381 letters toCalifornia’s U.S. senators urging them tointroduce a Senate companion bill.

Forests Forever phone canvassers alsosecured 14,673 commitments to contact thesenators for the same purpose.

The group also collected and mailed4172 letters to Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-PaloAlto) and other congressional representa-tives, asking them to support the restora-

tion act. The organization also received5499 commitments to contact legislatorsand ask for their support.

In fall 2001 the NFPA began a majorpush to gain publicity for the restorationl e g i s l a t i o n , u n v e i l i n g i t s “ 1 0 M o s tEndangered National Forests Report.”

As the association’s primary group inCalifornia, and its only group with a largegrassroots organizing program, ForestsForever was tapped to play a leading role inthe publicity campaign.

One of the 10 “forests” the NFPA identi-fied as most endangered is actually a groupof California forests called the QuincyLibrary Group forests, which includes thePlumas, Lassen and Tahoe. The other ninenational forests were:

• Allegheny (Pennsylvania)• Ouachita (Arkansas and Oklahoma)• Black Hills (South Dakota and

Wyoming)• Tongass (Alaska)• Umpqua (Oregon)

see “HR 1494,” p. 15, col. 2

Bush administration chips away roadless rule

see “Roadless,” p. 15, col. 3

photo courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management

The Watershed

As experts scrambled to halta disease ravaging California’soak trees, many forest advo-cates fel t an added sense ofalarm this year over news thatthe epidemic also could threat-en the state’s redwood forests.

Sudden Oak Death was firstdiscovered in the Marin Countytown of Mill Valley in 1995 andhas infected tens of thousandsof trees since then.

Earlier this year, SuddenOak Death pathogens werefound on redwood sprouts inBerkeley and Monterey.

S c i e n t i s t s a re t r y i n g t odetermine whether the discov-ery means the disease couldinfect redwood trees, but so farthey do not have an answer.

“There are too many vari-ables real ly to speculate onwhat it could do to the (red-wood) fores t s ,” sa id Kat ieFacino, public information offi-c e r f o r t h e C a l i f o r n i a O a kMortality Task Force.

Since its discovery, Sudden

Oak Death has been found in 11other California coastal coun-t i e s a n d i n C u r r y C o u n t y,Oregon. F i f teen spec ies ofp l a n t s a n dt r e e s a r ek n o w n t o b ecarriers.

I n 2 0 0 0 ,researchersdeterminedthe disease’scause to be anew species oft h e f u n g u s -likePhytophthora,a re l a t i v e o fthe organismt h a t c a u s e dthe Irish pota-to famine of the mid-1800s. Then e w p a t h o g e n , n a m e dPhytophthora ramorum , wasfound on rhododendrons inGermany and the Netherlandsas early as 1993, though it isunclear whether the diseaseoriginated in one of those coun-

tries.In January a Marin County

arborist reported that SuddenOak Death had killed redwood

t r e e s o n t h eproperty of oneof h i s c l i ents .Lab tests con-f i r m e d t h a tPhytophthorawas present onsamples f romt h e t re e s , b u twere unable todeterminew h e t h e r t h espec ies o f thepathogen wast h e o n e t h a tcauses the dis-ease.

After the story broke, UCresearchers reported findingt h e S u d d e n O a k D e a t hpathogen on redwood sproutsin Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park inMonterey County and on theUC Berkeley campus. But thescientists have yet to determine

whether the organism is capa-ble of killing redwood trees.

Facino said researchers areworking to determine whetherthe pathogen samples found onthe redwood sprouts were aliveand growing at the time theywere found.

It is possible the sampleswere only dead remnants thattraveled to the sprouts fromanother plant, she said. If so,they would be incapable ofdoing harm.

It is unclear how soon theresearchers will be able to saywhether the disease poses athreat to redwoods. For now,the Oak Mortality Task Force ismonitoring oaks across the stateto determine how many treest h e d i s e a s e h a s k i l l e d a n dwhich areas are at the greatestrisk of infestation.

“We’re trying to get a han-d l e o n i t a n d b e p r o a c t i v einstead of reactive,” Facinosaid.

– A.S.

Voter initiative ends in victory for Blue oak forest

“There aretoo many vari-ables really tospeculate onwhat it coulddo to the (red-wood) forests.”

Experts concerned disease could harm redwoods

Now that 70 acres of criticalB l u e o a k f o r e s t h a b i t a t i nNovato have been saved fromd e v e l o p m e n t , t h e M a r i nAudubon Society is close topurchasing the land to protect itas permanent open space.

Proving the effectiveness ofgrassroots organizing, Novatoresidents in May 2001 passed areferendum overturning theNovato City Council’s approvalof a 424-unit housing develop-ment slated for an area in north-east Novato called Bahia.

The land is believed to bethe only place left in Californiawhere a Blue oak forest and asalt marsh exist as one intactecosystem.

The referendum averted apotential disaster for the eco-logically unique parcel. All ofthe homes in the proposeddevelopment would have beenbuilt on environmentally sensi-

t ive areas , and would havedestroyed roughly 3300 trees,historic baylands, and wildlifehabitat for endangered speciessuch as the California Clapperrail.

“(Bahia) has a lot of wet-lands and it has over 200 acresof Blue oak woodland, which isv e r y u n u s u a l , ” s a i d t h eAudubon Society’s BarbaraSalzman. “It’s a pretty specialsite.”

The Novato City Councilapproved plans for the housingdevelopment in December of2000, but the volunteer groupCitizens to Save Bahia collectedenough signatures from Novatoresidents to put a referendumagainst the project on the ballot.

Forests Forever’s field can-vass assisted with the referen-

see “Bahia,” p. 10, col. 1 Bahia’s Blue oaks photo courtesy of Marin Audubon


In 1971, Kathy Bailey settled down inrural Mendocino County with one goal inmind.

“I moved to the country,” she said, “tohave a quiet and peaceful life.”

One phone call disrupted those plans,however, and jumpstarted Bailey’s longcareer as a volunteer environmentalactivist.

Bailey has most recently focused on ther e s t o r a t i o n o f J a c k s o nDemonstration State Forest in herown Mendocino County backyard.(See stories, pages 1, 12 and 13.)

But it is her work on issues suchas preserving Headwaters Forestthat has earned her a place as one ofCalifornia’s most effective forestadvocates.

The call that changed everythingfor Bailey came in 1976 from a SierraClub representative, who told her atimber company planned to sprayAgent Orange on the hillside behindher home.

At the time, the timber industryused Agent Orange– the same chem-ical the U.S. military sprayed tod e s t ro y v e g e t a t i o n d u r i n g t h eVietnam War– to kill brush and hard-wood in America’s forests.

Bailey and her neighbors werehorrified at the prospect of the areabeing exposed to the herbicide,which was associated with a host ofhealth problems, from severe rashesto birth defects.

Naturally gravitating toward leader-ship roles, Bailey quickly found herselfright in the middle of the issue. She becameinvolved in an initiative to ban classes ofdioxin-containing compounds, includingAgent Orange, from Mendocino County.

The measure passed and was chal-lenged by the timber industry, but wasupheld by the California Supreme Court.

Just a few months later, however, theCalifornia state legislature passed a last-minute law that gutted pesticide regulationin California and overruled the MendocinoCounty initiative.

Eventually, the timber industry yieldedto public pressure and stopped using AgentO r a n g e . U l t i m a t e l y, t h e U . S .Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)banned 2,4,5-T, one of the dioxins compris-ing the herbicide.

The EPA’s prohibition of 2,4,5-T proves

that sometimes issues initially seen as beingon the environmental fringe can eventuallymake their way into the mainstream.Sometimes, Bailey said, it just takes time.

“The most important thing to recognizeis that change is sometimes happening at apace that is very difficult to perceive,” shesaid.

Although she is able to see progress ona long-term scale, Bailey is also keenly

aware of the urgency of protecting finiteresources such as forests . And she isremarkably dedicated to her cause, saidSierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope.

It is Bailey’s combination of outspoken-ness and diplomacy that makes her such aneffective leader, Pope said.

“She’s forceful, but not strident,” Popesaid. “She’s not a headline grabber.”

After her work on the Agent Orangeissue, Bailey went back to “being a mom” todaughter Nora, now in college, and sonKeevan, now in high school.

But the dedicated mother and formerschool board member, whose activism rootsfirst formed during the civil rights move-ment, wasn’t able to enjoy her secondattempt at a quiet and peaceful life for long.

I t was a moment as defining as theSierra Club phone call that brought her

back to the frontlines of forest activism. In the mid-1980s, Bailey and husband

Eric, a Mendocino County judge, movedthe family to a new home down the road.Bailey hired an electrician to do some workon the place. As it turned out, he was alsoan equipment operator for the LouisianaPacific timber company.

Scanning the forest across from theproperty, the man told Bailey she should

appreciate her view.“He said, ‘You better look at this

because those trees aren’t going to bethere very long. I can’t believe whatwe’re doing out here in the woods,we’re taking everything, ’” sa idBailey.

Stunned that a timber companyemployee was d is turbed by theamount of trees being cut, Baileydecided to take another look at log-ging issues. She called a friend fromher herbicide initiative days and wasinvited to a meeting at a picnic tableby the side of the highway east of FortBragg in tiny Laytonville.

That meeting turned out to be oneof many that ultimately led to theForests Forever initiative of 1990. Theinitiative, which aimed to ban clear-cutting in California and providedfunds for the purchase of the 3000-acre ancient Headwaters Grove, lostby a two percent margin.

The measure did have positiveoutcomes, though, resulting in theformation of the current ForestsForever organization and the eventu-

al acquisition of the 10,000-acre old-growthHeadwaters Preserve.

Her work on the Forests Forever cam-p a i g n f o c u s e d B a i l e y ’ s a t t e n t i o n o nHeadwaters, and she spent the next 10years fighting to save it. She began volun-teering for the Sierra Club, and ended upbecoming the forest conservation chair forSierra Club California.

Bailey finally left the Sierra Club lastsummer because of health reasons. Themove has allowed her more time for herfavorite hobbies, which include gardeningand occasional “escapes” to San Francisco.It has also allowed her to focus on preserv-i n g J a c k s o n F o r e s t , t h e l a r g e s t o fCalifornia’s state forests, located just up the

see “Bailey,” p. 11, col. 1

Kathy Bailey: ‘Not a headline grabber’The former Sierra Club California forestry chair uses her recent retirement to fight a battle in her own backyard

Kathy Bailey photo by Andria Strickley

Summer, 2002 5The Watershed

Each summer the news is filled withstories of wildfires burning out of control inthe western U.S. This year has been noexception. By July 2002, 3.3 million acresalready had burned– twice the 10-yearaverage for that time of year.

While people are justly terrified of hugeblazes, many forest ecology experts sayy e a r s o f s u p p re s s i o n a c t u a l l y h a v eincreased the frequency and severity ofwildfires.

In addition, some say, attempts to “fire-proof” forests have disrupted the naturalrole of fire (typically caused by lightning) inmaintaining forest health.

Fires are an integral part of the forest

ecosystem, says Peter Morrison of thePacific Biodiversity Institute in Washingtonstate.

“They’re as natural a phenomenon asthe snow falling in the wintertime,” he says.

As commercial logging increased acrossfederal forests in the 1930s the U.S. ForestService began to worry about the risk firesposed to this valuable resource. As aresponse the agency began a policy of sup-pressing all fires by 10 a.m. regardless ofsize or location.

In the late 1940s the Forest Service intro-

duced a spokesman for its fire fighting poli-cy: Smokey the Bear. In his familiar forestranger outfit Smokey became emblazonedacross the national consciousness, teachingmillions of people that wildfires weresomething to be prevented at all costs.

But Morrison says that by suppressingfires, humans have thrown off the naturalforest equilibrium that has existed for eons.

“A lot of the species have evolved forhundreds of thousands of years with fire,”he said. “By taking that out of the equationyou shift the balance toward species thatare less dependent on fire. Those speciesstart to dominate the ecosystem.”

As an example, Morrison says, the

Pacific Northwest has seen a steady declinein aspen trees, which resprout from theirroots and therefore tend to survive fires bet-ter than compet i tors such as spruce .Without fires to keep them in check, spruceand other conifers have taken over whatwere once aspen-dominated forests.

In addition to throwing forest ecosys-tems out of balance, years of fire suppres-sion have allowed dangerous levels of fuelto build up in the nation’s forests. Theresult is fires that burn hotter and fasterthan those that took place before human

intervention.Untouched ancient forests were able to

survive fires because the older trees devel-

oped thick bark that could resist the flames.The shade from the canopy kept the groundmoist and fires typically burned no higherthan a few feet tall. However, studies showthat years of logging have significantlyworsened the damage caused by forestfires.

Experts say logging has increased firerisk in several ways. For one, timber com-panies tend to remove the largest trees,which also happen to be the most fire-resis-tant. Taking out the biggest trees also canincrease wind speeds, affecting how firesspread. Timber harvests generally createpiles of branches and other debris, addingto the fuel that already has built up on theforest floor. And without the shade provid-ed by the larger trees, the forest floor andslash dry out more quickly, generatingmuch more intense fires.

But Buck Latapie, fire planning andbudget assistant director in the ForestService’s Washington, D.C., office, says log-ging is not to blame for increased wildfireseverity. He argues that harvesting some ofthe larger trees reduces crown closure, let-ting heat escape from forests when firesstrike.

“It allows them to vent, allows some ofthe heat out of there,” Latapie says.

The West on fire:How decades of suppression have created fuel for disaster

“A lot of the specieshave evolved for hun-dreds of thousands ofyears with fire. Bytaking that out of theequation you shift thebalance towardspecies that are lessdependant on fire.”

photo courtesy of the Bureau of Land Management


But according to a 1996 report by theSierra Nevada Ecosystem Project commis-sioned by the Congress, “Timber harvest,through its effects on forest structure, localmicroclimate and fuels accumulation, hasincreased fire severity more than any otherrecent human activity.”

A December 2000 report by Taxpayersfor Common Sense cites two recent exam-ples of logging operations igniting fires:

• The Ryan Gulch Fire. Started by PlumCreek Timber Company logging operations on privately owned lands in western Montana, the fire spread to adjacent public lands, and eventually burned 17,118 acres. The final cost for fighting the fire was $7.3 million.

• The Crooked fire. Burning in the Clearwater National Forest near the Idaho-Montana border, the firebegan in logging slash. According to a 2000 National Interagency Fire Center report, the fire burned 4892 acres at a cost of $5.2 million.

The Taxpayers for Common Sensereport concludes that Congress and theForest Service mistakenly have focused oncommercial logging as a means to deal withfire risks.

“Unfortunately, commercial loggingcan exacerbate the problem,” the reportsays. “Moreover, a focus on commerciallogging politicizes the problemand distracts from real solu-tions. As long as Congress andthe Forest Service rely on thisapproach, the situation will con-tinue to deteriorate.”

The report says that at $1.3billion, fire suppression costs in2000 were the most expensive inhistory. To reduce future costs,the Taxpayers organization saysthe Forest Service should focuso n f i g h t i n g f i r e s i n t h e“Wildland Urban Interface”(WUI), where wilderness meetspopulated areas.

“We’d definitely like to seethe fires in the high-risk com-munities extinguished first,”says Taxpayers for CommonSense Policy Analyst SharonNappier.

Nappier says Taxpayers ispressing for 75 percent of ForestService fire suppression funds to go tofighting fires in the WUI. Fires in otherareas should be left to run their naturalcourse, the group says.

Morrison of the Pacific BiodiversityInstitute says that in many cases fires can bemuch more deadly to fight than to let burn.He points to the example of last year ’sThirtymile Fire in Washington state, whichkilled four young firefighters. The fire wasin a remote area and was not threateninglives or property, he says.

Fighting wildfires has cost numerousfire crew members their lives over theyears. In 2001, 14 firefighters died battlingwildfires. Even more recently, four fire-fighters were killed in June of this yearwhen an air tanker crashed near Yosemite.

But despite the risks, Latapie of theForest Service says, too much fuel has accu-mulated in many areas to simply let firesburn there.

“What we’d end up with are just devas-tating fires,” Latapie says. “In many places,we would do irreparable damage to water-sheds and critical habitat.”

Latapie acknowledges the role the

Forest Service has played in creating theunnaturally large fuel load, however, andsays the agency is working to change it.

Congress is helping speed that process,having given the Forest Service a 2004deadline to rewrite fire-suppression poli-cies for each national forest. Latapie saidthe Forest Service intends to use prescribed

burns to help return fuel loads to more nor-mal levels.

Morrison of the Pacific BiodiversityInstitute says prescribed burning is defi-nitely necessary to help restore forests’ nat-ural balance. In addition, the public mustbecome more accepting of fire as a naturaloccurrence instead of being swayed byoverly dramatic headlines, he says.

“Words like ‘destroyed’ are used veryfrequently and it gives people the impres-sion that fires are very bad,” he says.

In reality, Morrison says, he has yet tosee a fire that did not have positive effectsin the end.

“Overall, if you look at it (from) a long-term view,” he says, “We need more fireand not less.”

– A.S.

How Natural FireBenefits Forests

Fires maintain the equi-librium of forests by:

• Releasing the seeds oftrees, such as certainspecies of pine, sothey can reproduce.

• Returning nutrients tothe soil.

• Creating diverse habi-tat for fish and wildlife.

• Eliminating excessdead and diseasedtrees.

• Preventing dangerousfuel levels from build-ing up.

A controlled burn photo courtesy of Bureau of Land Management


A gala fundraiser held in San Franciscobrought in more than $22,000 to promoteForests Forever’s efforts to end clear-cuttingthrough a statewide voter initiative.

Hosted by Forests Forever supportersJeanne and Jim Newman in April 2001, thePacific Heights event drew an influentialgroup of forestry reform supporters.

T h e e v e n t ’ s k e y n o t e s p e a k e r w a sAssemblywoman Carole Migden (D-SanFrancisco), who gave a rousing talk. ForestsForever Board President Mark Fletcher andExecutive Director Paul Hughes also spoke.

Advisory Council member and long-timeconservationist Martin Litton awed theguests with a slide show depicting the deva-stating effects of clear-cutting in Sequoia

FORESTS FOREVER 2001 GALA EVENTEVENT CO-HOSTS:

Jim and Jeanne Newman

SPONSORS:

Mark A. Fletcher, Ph.D.; Walter Girdlestone;Paul Hughes; Nancy Kittle; Leonard Lehmann; James Newman; Beverly Red and Mitch Hall

Contributors:

$5000 or more, “Wilderness”:

Aleksandar Totic

$1000 to $2500, “Ancient Forests”:

Rena G. Bransten; Martine Dreiling; Ann M. Hatch; Richard Lawler and Eliza Robertson;John Morgin; Jeanne Newman;Michael Tilson Thomas and Joshua M. Robison

$500 to $1000, “Clean Air & Water”:

Ian S. FordeRobert Fragomeni Gerald HuffNancy Leavens

Up to $500:

Jan Akers; Kenneth B. Alexander & Mary B. Granfors; JulianneAnderson; Carol & Tom Baker; Lisa W. Baldauf; Alvin H. Baum, Jr.;Daniel M. Becker; Alexander Bingham; Kathleen Brennan; Keith Breon;Priscilla Broberg; Jam Brouillard; John Brown; Debbie Cargill-Berndt;Ann Chiller; Margaret K. and Frederick R. Chilton; RichardChristopher; Phillipa Criswell; Vergilia Paasche Dakin; Kim Davis-Albertson; Phyllis Domezio; Carol Donohue; Robert English; Leland B.Evans; Alice Flewelling; Victoria F. Fong; Liz Fracchia; Franza Giffen;Suzanne Glaubitz; Bill Graetz; Alisa Greene MacAvoy; James Gutman;Claude Herail; Will Hoover; Lina Howard; Mabi Ilosa; Nancy & PederJones; Nancy Karp & Peter Jones; Pamela Kerwin; Arlene Larson; KevinLawrence; Robert May; Steve & Niko Mayer; Joy Micon; Sean Millos;Constance Morse; Dorothy Murray; Paulina Mustazza; Raquel H.Newman; Brennan Newsom; Kate O’Shea; Judy Peck; Sharon Peterson;Gabriel Proo; Lindsay Rand; John Ravenscroft; George Reed; Robert L.Reese; George Richard; Louella I. Romero; Henry S. Rosenthal; PaulaSapunar; Scott Satterthwaite; Robert & Ann Sayre; Michael Schuck;Luke Sheneman; Winsor Soule, Jr. & Marcia Tanner; Judy Tamarin;Melissa Thornbill; Michael Ubell; Nancy Wakeman; Sharyn Weiss;George Wolf; Eric Zivian

Special Thanks to:

Robert BueltemanPam FishmanSupervisor Gavin Newsom and PlumpJack CaféAssembly Speaker Pro Tem Fred KeeleyMartin and Esther LittonAssemblywoman Carole MigdenSupervisor Aaron PeskinGyani Riley

From left: Joshua Robison; Jim and Jeanne Newman, event hosts; Forests Forever Executive Director PaulHughes

Forests Forever gala event raises over $22,000


forests, including national forests, inCalifornia.

“Martin Litton’s slide show was a bigeye opener for most of the people there,”said Forests Forever Board Secretary KenSmith.

“They had no idea this was going on ina national forest. The media doesn’t coverthese things.”

Smith said he was encouraged by thepositive response of the people who attend-ed, some of whom even showed interest inhosting a similar event in their own homes.

S a n F r a n c i s c o S u p e r v i s o r G a v i nNewsom attended the gala and, as he did

for Forests Forever ’s 1999 event, con-tributed wine, hors d’oeuvres and serversfrom his PlumpJack Café.

Classical guitarist Gyani Riley, a friendof Jeanne Newman’s, performed for theappreciative crowd.

Although it was small, the event didwell financially, raising $22,785– a signifi-cant increase from the 1999 gala. The 1999event raised about $13,000 with much morelead time and a consultant helping withplanning.

With the money from the event, ForestsForever raised a total of $44,210 toward theold-growth initiative in 2001.

– A.S.

From left: Forest Forever Board Secretary Ken Smith, Forests Forever Executive Director Paul Hughes, ForestsForever Board President Mark Fletcher, San Jose Sharks pro hockey team owner George Gund III

San Francisco Supervisor Gavin Newsom

From left: San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, Brennan Newsom, Forests Forever Advisory CouncilMember Martin Litton

Assemblywoman Carole Migden

Forests Forever Board President MarkFletcher


dum effort by collecting signa-tures at the doorsteps of Novator e s i d e n t s . D e v e l o p m e n tAssociate Krist in Kirk alsocoordinated precinct walkinga n d t a b l i n g c o n d u c t e d b yMarin County volunteers whocollected signatures in Novatoneighborhoods and at severalpublic locations.

Kirk said the public’s reac-t ion to the referendum wasmixed at first, but by the end ofthe campaign the majority ofthe people she spoke to were infavor of protecting the area.

“I felt so overjoyed the night

the referendum won,” Kirksaid. “It feels so great to win av i c t o r y w h e r e y o u a r e u pagainst such odds. All the hardwork and efforts really paidoff.”

In all, 5170 signatures werecollected in 16 days from resi-dents opposed to the develop-ment. Only 2645 were neededto place the referendum on theballot.

S i n c e t h e r e f e r e n d u mpassed, Audubon has collectedmore than $7 million for thepurchase of the 210-acre parcel.

The majority of the fundsa r e f r o m t h e C o a s t a lC o n s e r v a n c y, w h i c h g a v eAudubon $5.75 million to helpacquire the land. Other contrib-

utors include the Marin CountyOpen Space District, the MarinCommunity Foundation andprivate donors.

A purchase agreement iscurrently being negotiated withthe owner of the Bahia property.

The exact amount neededfor the purchase will not beknown until the completion ofan appraisal, which is currentlyin the works.

Audubon is pursuing sever-al grants to help fund the pur-c h a s e a n d i s c o n t i n u i n g t ofundraise for individual contri-butions.

Individual donations arep a r t i c u l a r l y i m p o r t a n t ,A u d u b o n m e m b e r s s a i d ,because $3.75 million of the

$5.75 million from the CoastalConservancy must be matchedby private donors. The group isconfident that between thegrants and private donations,enough money will be raised tocomplete the purchase.

F o r h e r p a r t , F o r e s t sF o r e v e r ’ s K i r k s a i d s h e i sthri l led the land will l ikelyreceive permanent protection.

“This is an oak woodlandthat has not been affected by theSudden Oak Death syndrome,which has plagued so manyoaks in Marin County,” Kirksaid. “This is just one more rea-son to preserve this uniqueecosystem.”

– A.S.

Forests Forever recentlywas targeted in connection witha l a w s u i t i n w h i c h f o r e s tactivists were sued for protest-i n g l o g g i n g o p e r a t i o n s o nPacific Lumber Co. (PL) land.

In April 2001 PL and severalother logging-related compa-nies (such as a log truckingoperation) sued NorthcoastEarth First ! , Mattole ForestDefenders, and 18 persons fortrespassing, erecting blockadesand other protest activities onPL land in the Mattole Rivervalley.

The suit also named “Does1-200,” allowing more defen-dants to be named in subse-quent filings.

David Greene, executivedirector for Oakland’s FirstAmendment Project, said thesuit falls under the category of a“SLAPP” suit– a strategic law-suit against public participa-tion.

“A SLAPP suit is a lawsuitthat seeks to punish somebodyf o r e x e r c i s i n g t h e i r F i r s tAmendment rights,” Greenesaid. “They target people who

p a r t i c i p a t e i n t h e p u b l i cprocess.”

The protesters named in thelawsuit were trying to stop

clear-cutting in the Mattole.Located in Humboldt County,the area is home to some of thelast unprotected old-growthr e d w o o d f o r e s t l e f t i nCal i fornia . Act iv is ts werearrested on the land as recently

as July of this year.Forests Forever was sub-

poenaed in the su i t in May2001. Lawyers for the plaintiffsdemanded that the organiza-tion hand over documents suchas job applications and paystubs– as well as a myriad ofother detailed records– pertain-ing to several of the defendants.

In October 2001 Fores tsForever attorney James P. Pachlwrote a response stating theorganization had no recordsrelated to anyone named in thesubpoena.

The response letter furtherstated, “Forests Forever... doesnot and did not recruit or trainpersons to attempt to halt log-g ing opera t ions on Pac i f i cLumber property in the Mattolearea.”

Forests Forever has receivedno further contact from theplaintiffs’ attorneys regardingthe suit since the response waswritten.

Forests Forever ExecutiveDirector Paul Hughes said thateven though some of its currentor former employees may have

participated in Mattole protestso n t h e i r o w n t i m e , F o re s t sForever itself had nothing to dowith the actions.

“Forests Forever’s board ofdirectors has been clear andunequivocal that we do notendorse illegal activities or putany of our group’s resourcestoward them,” Hughes said.

“ T h i s l a w s u i t w a s a nattempt to intimidate us andimply a threat. It won’t work.”

State legislation has beenenacted to prevent lawsuitsagainst public participation.One woman named in the PLsuit– whom Greene of the FirstAmendment Project defend–had her case dropped based onthe anti-SLAPP law.

The timber-related compa-nies appealed the decision andthe i s sue i s now before theCalifornia Court of Appeals.

Most of the other defen-d a n t s h a v e b e e n g i v e n t h eoption of settling out of courtbecause they are considered

“Bahia”continued from p. 4

Forests Forever subpoenaed in Pacific Lumber lawsuit against activists

“This law-suit was anattempt tointimidate usand imply athreat. Itwon’t work.”

see “SLAPP,” p. 16, col. 4


highway from Bailey’s home.W h i l e i t h a s n o t y e t

received nearly the same pub-l ic i ty Headwaters did , theeffort to end logging in Jacksonhas proven similarly difficult.

The fact that a public entitys u c h a s t h e C a l i f o r n i aDepartment of Forestry (CDF)continues to advocate outdatedpractices such as clear-cuttingis particularly disheartening,Bailey said.

“The institutional inertia atC D F h a s b e e n s t a r t l i n g ,astounding actually,” she said.

From an environmentalstandpoint, ending all loggingin Jackson is a reasonable goal,Bailey said. Her personal focushas been more on the preserva-tion of the forest’s oldest areasand the establishment of 500-foot no-cut zone near water-ways, however.

While she acknowledges

other environmentalists wouldcriticize her stand as being toosoft, Bailey maintains that ittakes a full range of activism tomake change possible.

“To be effective, one has torecognize there’s a lot of differ-ent ways to operate, and theyall mesh together,” Bailey said.“I think of it as human biodi-versity in action.”

– A.S.

“Bailey”continued from p. 5

Moloney said. The fact the ini-tiative is backed by several reli-gious organizations shows thatmany people understand themore intangible values of trees,she said.

“Coming from a religiousperspective, people believe thatthere are substantive importantnon-economic values that thesetrees provide such as spirituali-ty,” Moloney said.

“Some of us believe thatthese places are as sacred as anychurch one would walk in.”

Forests Forever board mem-b e r K e n t S t ro m s m o e , w h oauthored a significant portiono f t h e m e a s u re , s a i d m a n yendangered species depend onold-growth for survival.

New trees can grow tall rel-a t ive ly quick ly but cannotreproduce other old-growthcharacteristics, Stromsmoe said.

As an example, Stromsmoe

said, the Marbled murrelet, aspecies of bird that nests only inold-growth, depends on thehigh, large-diameter branchesthat only very old trees can pro-vide.

Not only do old-growthtrees deserve protection fort h e i r e c o l o g i c a l b e n e f i t s ,S t r o m s m o e s a i d , b u t a l s obecause they are an irreplace-able part of history. Some ofCalifornia’s old-growth, henoted, may have existed as longago as 2700 B.C.

“The initiative approaches( t h e t re e s ) f ro m a h e r i t a g e

standpoint. They were passedinto our care from the past,”

Stromsmoe said.The heritage tree act would

apply to trees on non-federalforestland, since the state doesnot have jurisdiction over fed-erally owned land.

Stromsmoe said that the ini-tiative’s definition of forestland

is very specific: it must be capa-ble of growing a crop of trees top r o d u c e l u m b e r o r o t h e rforest products. In other words,the measure does not apply totrees in people’s backyards, hesaid.

The measure would includea buffer zone of 100-150 feet forheritage trees. No sites of rare,t h re a t e n e d o r e n d a n g e re dplants or animals could be dis-turbed, threatened, or damagedwithin the buffer zone.

S lash burning would beexcluded from the zone, andheavy timber equipment would

not be allowed inside the bufferexcept on existing permanentroadways.

If Sen. Perata’s bill does notpass, organizers will work toplace the heritage tree act on theMarch 2004 ballot. It will beCalifornia’s first forest preser-vation bal lot measure to bevoted on since the 1990 ForestsForever initiative.

Also known as Proposition130, the Forests Forever initia-tive would have prohibitedclear-cutting within Californiaand authorized $742 million inbond sales for the state to pur-chase virgin old-growth forests,including Headwaters Forest.

The initiative failed by aslim two percent margin buthelped generate publicity andorganizing momentum thatresulted in eventual acquisitionof the 10,000-acre HeadwatersPreserve.

Over the next year, CFOGwil l work on a campaign toteach the importance of pre-s e r v i n g a n c i e n t t re e s . F o rStromsmoe, the number onereason is also the simplest.

“We can’t get them backonce they’re gone.”

– A.S.

“Old-growth”continued from p. 1

Doonesbury © 2002 G.B. Trudeau. Reprinted with permission of Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved.

“...theseplaces are assacred as anychurch onewould walk in.”


logging represents a break-through in efforts to returnJackson to old-growth-like con-ditions, the future of the forestremains uncertain. The newmanagement plan calls for log-ging mature second-growthredwoods, which are critical tothe forest’s ecological integrityand to the long-term survival ofits wildlife.

The draft EIR released inMay supports the proposedlogging, saying it will have nosignificant adverse environ-mental impacts.

B u t B i l l H e i l o f t h eCampaign to Restore JacksonState Redwood Forest said thelogging will exacerbate damagealready caused by decades of

harves t ing . Whi le theCalifornia Department ofForestry (CDF) claims theplan wil l help demon-strate ecologically soundforest management, thedocument actually advo-cates outdated practices,Heil said. As an example,he pointed to the fact that30 percent of the plan’sproposed harvest wouldbe clear-cut.

“ A n y p r o g r e s s i v emanagement ( theory)says there’s no reason toclear-cut,” he said.

Chris Rowney, CDFdemonstration state forest pro-gram manager, said there is nobasis to criticism that the plan isecologically unsound.

“There’s got to be a little

more substantiation to thatkind of claim. Obviously wethink it is (sound),” Rowneysaid.

Asked for specifics on howthe new plan helps protect the

environment, Rowney refusedto answer.

“That is an analysis that isincorporated into the EIR,” he

map courtesy of the Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest

see “Jackson,” p. 13, col . 1

“Jackson”continued from p. 1

Although it only formed two years ago,the Campaign to Restore Jackson StateRedwood Forest has already altered thedestiny of the 50,000-acre forest.

S t a r t e d b y a g r o u p o fMendocino County residentsintent on stopping large-scalecommercial logging in the for-est, the Jackson Campaign hasg r o w n t o 2 0 0 0 m e m b e r s .Although it is still relativelysmall– with only one paid staffmember– the group has put atemporary halt to timber har-vests in Jackson.

I n S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 1 t h eJackson Campaign partneredwith Forests Forever, combin-ing efforts to stop large-scalelogging in Jackson and returnthe forest to conditions approx-imating old-growth.

Vince Taylor, the JacksonCampaign’s executive director,said he was motivated to stopcommercial logging in Jacksonaf ter wi tness ing the fores tbeing eaten away, chunk bychunk, by large harvests.

Taylor, whose backgroundincludes a Bachelor’s degree inphysics from CalTech and a Ph.D. in eco-nomics from MIT, moved to MendocinoCounty in 1989. Jackson Forest is literallyin his backyard– his property runs right toits edge– and he is passionate about pro-tecting it as both an ecological and recre-

ational resource.“My role is to raise people’s conscious-

ness around this,” he said. And that’s exactly what he and the

Jackson Campaign have done. From asmall office in Fort Bragg the group has cre-ated a website and newsletter, publishedads and articles in local papers and movedhundreds of people to write letters to theCalifornia Department of Forestry (CDF)

imploring the agency to halt commerciallogging.

The Campaign’s biggest victory came inMay 2001 when the Mendocino County

Superior Court stopped all log-ging in Jackson as a result of alawsuit the group filed.

The suit asserted that CDFwas logging illegally under anoutdated management plan.The state forestry board’s poli-cy states that state forest man-a g e m e n t p l a n s m u s t b eupdated every 10 years. At thetime, the Jackson plan’s latestrevision was from 1983.

The court ordered CDF tocreate a new management planand commission an accompa-nying Environmental ImpactReport (EIR). Drafts of bothdocuments now have beencompleted and are awaitingreview by the forestry board.

Taylor is convinced that thewill of California residents is toe n d m a s s i v e l o g g i n g i nJackson. Because the forest ispublicly owned, Taylor said,halting Jackson timber har-

vests is much more achievablethan if the land were private.

“Justice is on our side,” he said, “andit’s doable.”

– A.S.

Vince Taylor photo by Andria Strickley

Jackson Campaign: Little group makes huge headway


said.According to the EIR, mea-

sures such as leaving someolder port ions of the forestin tac t and fo l lowing s t r i c tguidelines for road buildingwill help mitigate the plan’senvironmental impacts to “lessthan significant” levels.

But landscape ecologistJames Strittholt said the plandoes not leave nearly enough ofthe forest intact to preserve itsecosystem. Strittholt, director oft h e C o n s e r v a t i o n B i o l o g yInstitute in Corvallis, Ore., com-pleted an assessment of theplan for the Jackson Campaign.

“From the outset, I feel themanagement agency (CDF), istrying to do and promise toomuch. The goals are too diverseand expansive to be sustain-a b l e , o r e v e n a t t a i n a b l e , ”Strittholt said in his report.

Strittholt said the proposedlogging is a threat to endan-gered species that depend onmature forest conditions forsurvival.

“The draft managementp l a n i n c l u d e s l a t e s e r a l(mature) forest enhancements,but not over an area necessaryto contribute to the long-termsurvival of these species,” he

said.Posing yet a further threat

to Jackson, the panel responsi-ble for approving the manage-ment plan, the state Board ofForestry, is the very agency thattried to help CDF avoid havingto write the new plan in the firstplace.

The legal battle over the for-est began in June of 2000 whenthe Jackson Campaign sued

CDF and the Board of Forestry,asserting that CDF needed acurrent management plan inorder to log.

The most recent plan at thetime was prepared in 1983, andw a s b a d l y o u t o f d a t e , t h egroup argued.

The Mendocino Superior

Court agreed and in May 2001issued a Preliminary Injunctionagainst further logging.

After the court issued theinjunction, CDF and the Boardof Forestry attempted to hastilyr e v i s e t h e b o a r d ’ s p o l i c y,removing the requirement thatforest operations be conductedunder a “current managementplan.”

The Jackson Campaign’slawyer argued the move wasillegal because it did not followthe mandate of the CaliforniaEnvironmental Quality Act(CEQA). Faced with furtherlegal action, CDF and the boardagreed in August 2001 to haltlogging in exchange for theCampaign’s promise not to suet h e b o a r d o v e r t h e p o l i c ychange.

A settlement reached March20 finalized both the August2 0 0 1 a g r e e m e n t a n d t h erequirement that CDF completean updated management plan.

Although CDF did com-plete the new plan, Heil said theagency took none of the con-cerns about logging into con-sideration.

“ T h e n e w m a n a g e m e n tplan is just like the old manage-ment plan,” he said.

The agency is determined tocontinue logging Jackson, Heil

State fund gives public money for private gain

Toles © 2002 The Buffalo News. Reprinted with permission of Universal Press Syndicate. All rights reserved.

see “Jackson,” p. 16, col. 1


Each year, the approximate-ly $15 million in logging rev-enue from Jackson State Forestgoes in to a fund ca l l ed theForest Resources ImprovementFund (FRIF).

At l eas t some o f FRIF i sused to repair damage causedby logging on private land–essentially giving subsidies toprivate landowners.

Vince Taylor, execut ivedirector of the Campaign toRestore Jackson State RedwoodForest said revenues from astate-owned forest should notbe used to subsidize the privatetimber industry.

“ We ’ r e t r y i n g t o s o l v e

forestry problems by degradingthe publicly owned forests,” hesaid.

About 80 percent o f theFRIF budget comes from log-ging Jackson, said demonstra-t i o n s t a t e f o r e s t p r o g r a mmanager Chris Rowney. OneFRIF program– the CaliforniaForest Improvement Program–gives grants directly to privatet imber land owners to helpthem repair watershed damagefrom logging.

Taylor said that instead ofusing Jackson profits to financesuch programs, the state shouldpay for FRIF through either theGeneral Fund or a timber tax.

Rowney said it was not aC a l i f o r n i a D e p a r t m e n t o fForestry (CDF) decision to useJackson t imber revenues tofund FRIF.

Instead the state legislatureopted to use the logging rev-enues when it first establishedthe fund, he said.

At the moment, the FRIFbudget for the 2002-2003 fiscalyear is uncertain, as the JacksonCampaign’s lawsuit has tem-porarily halted logging in theforest . (See related stories,pages 1 and 12.) As a result,Rowney said, the subsidies toprivate landowners essentiallyhave been eliminated for the

time being, and all other pro-grams have seen significant cut-backs.

To fund the remainder ofthe programs, Rowney said,CDF will have to borrow fromthe General Fund.

And as far as Taylor is con-cerned, that is a far better placefrom which to draw FRIF fund-ing than by degrading one ofthe state’s most ecologicallycritical forests.

– A.S.


Coalition seeks national parks funding

WASHINGTON, D.C.— A new coalition has formed to helpfund America’s national parks, which are facing pressures fromincreased visitation, overdevelopment, motorized vehicle use, andair and water pollution.

Called Americans for National Parks, the coalition is workingto encourage the Congress and the Bush administration to addressthe full needs of the National Park System. Forests Forever is anactive member of the group.

The campaign isfocused on a set ofinterim 18-monthgoals , the f i r s t o fw h i c h i s t o b u i l dpublic demand forp a r k p r o t e c t i o nthrough media rela-tions, advertising,and grassroots edu-cation.

The Park Service'sannual operationsbudget falls at least$600 million, or 32p e rc e n t , s h o r t o fwhat is needed. Asa result, plant andwildlife species aredisappearing.

To join Americansfor National Parksa t n o c o s t , o r f o rmore information,c o n t a c t B o d h iGarrett, local cam-

p a i g n c o o r d i n a t o r, a t ( 5 1 0 ) 8 3 9 - 9 9 2 2 e x t . 2 4 o r a [email protected] and be sure to visit

www.americansfornationalparks.org.

U.N. report paints bleak picture

LONDON–—In 30 years the Earth could become a wastelandof urban slums, lose almost a quarter of its mammal species and seemillions of people die from thirst and water-borne diseases,according to a United Nations report released in May.

The report looks at a variety of scenarios in predicting whatcould happen in the next 30 years.

Under the most optimistic scenario, there would be continueddevelopment but more compact cities and better planning, main-taining the stress on water supplies at a steady level and stabilizingpressure on land and animals by 2032.

Under the bleakest scenario, one with uncontrolled growth, 55per cent of the global population will face moderate to severe watershortages and more than 11,000 plant and animal species will bedead or dying. Most coastal regions will be clogged with pollution.

Despite all the bad news, the report did say that water and airquality has improved in the U.S. and Europe over the past 30 years.

Loose Leaf Briefs

Earth First! activists awarded $4.4 million

OAKLAND—In a surprising defeat for the FBI and Oaklandpolice department, a federal jury in June awarded $4.4 million indamages to Earth First! activists Judi Bari and Darryl Cherney,concluding that law enforcement officials framed the pair for thebombing of their own car.

The jury found six federal agents and police officers guilty ofviolating Bari and Cherney’s rights to free speech and protectionfrom unlawful searches.

Bari, who died ofb r e a s t c a n c e r i n1997, and Cherneys u e d a y e a r a f t e rBari’s station wagonw a s b o m b e d i nO a k l a n d i n 1 9 9 0 .Their suit al legedfalse arrest, illegalsearch, slanderousstatements and con-sp i racy. The pa i rcontended that offi-c ia ls ignored evi -dence clearing thema n d l i e d t o m a k etheir case.

T h e B a r i -Cherney case is oneof the few civil casesagainst the FBI to bebrought to trial. Theg o v e r n m e n t h a dfought for 11 yearsto keep the case frombeing tried.

Boxer bill would protect 2.5 million acres

SAN FRANCISCO—U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) in Mayintroduced a bill that would designate 2.5 million acres ofCalifornia public lands and 400 miles of the state's rivers as wild,helping ensure their protection from the effects of California'sbooming population.

Dubbed the "California Wild Heritage Wilderness Act of 2002,"the bill would incorporate 73 public land parcels into the NationalWilderness Preservation System and add 22 river sections to theNational Wild and Scenic Rivers System.

The Wilderness Act represents a key milestone in the cam-paign to permanently protect California's dwindling wild legacy.Wilderness designation would save the public lands from logging,development, road building and mining, and would prohibitmotorized vehicles from entering the areas.

The bill would safeguard rivers from any new dams or waterdiversions and would preserve the particular features that led totheir designation. A river designated because of its fisheries, forexample, would be protected from logging to maintain its spawn-ing areas.

© Tribune Media Services, Inc.. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.


• Clearwater (Idaho)• George Washington / Jefferson

(Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky)

• Ottawa (Michigan)• Gifford Pinchot (Washington)

The “10 Most Endangered” push was tok i c k o f f w i t h a p r e s s c o n f e r e n c e i nWashington, D.C. , featuring forestry activistJ u l i a B u t t e r f l y H i l l a n d m e m b e r s o fCongress. The timing of the kickoff provedunfortunate, however, as the Sept. 11 terror-ist attacks jolted the world just hours beforethe event was scheduled to begin.

Regional press events and other eventscentered on each of the 10 identified forestshad been planned for the weeks followingthe Sept. 11 kickoff.

Forests Forever was slated to publicizethe “10 Most Endangered” campaign in theBay Area. Organization members hadplanned vigorously toward a local press con-ference and rally focusing on the Quincyforests, set for Sept. 27 in San Francisco.

The regional events were cancelled afterthe attacks, however, and the bill was put onthe backburner altogether.

Now that the shock waves from Sept. 11have subsided, NFPA is refocusing on therestoration act. The Sierra Club and otherNFPA members are urging forest supportersto write their congressional representativesto ask them to co-sponsor the legislation.

Meantime, Forests Forever has opted tofocus its efforts on a more local campaign–restoration of Jackson State Forest. (See arti-cles pages 1, 12 and 13.)

Said Hughes: “The road will be a longone to passage of this strong bill (HR 1494).We’ll continue to push for it in the comingyears.”

– A.S.

FORESTS FOREVER

Board of Directors

Mark A. Fletcher, Ph.D.President

Ken SmithSecretary

James NewmanTreasurer

Kent Stromsmoe

Advisory Council

Richard Gienger

Betsy Herbert

Martin Litton

Jeanne Newman

“Restore,

Reinhabit,

Re-enchant”

FORESTS FOREVER FOUNDATION

Board of Directors:

Paul HughesExecutive Director

“HR 1494”continued from p. 3

A publication of Forests Forever, Inc.and the Forest Forever Foundation

973 Market St., Suite 450

San Francisco, CA 94103

Phone 415/974-3636

FAX 415/974-3664

[email protected]

www.forestsforever.org

The Watershed© 2002

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The Watershedwilderness vulnerable to logging and oildrilling, including Tahoe National Forest’sDuncan Canyon.

A section of Los Padres National Forestslated for the roadless law has been targetedfor new oil and gas leases, Hammond said. ACalifornia condor chick, the first born in thewild since 1986, recently hatched in theuntrammeled area.

Hammond said wilderness proponentshave focused on banning roads because ofthe wide range of environmental destructionthey cause, from erosion to the introductionof invasive species.

“Roads are the main cause of habitat lossand degradation for wildlife,” Hammondsaid. “They carve up habitat into smallerchunks, which eliminates wide-rangingspecies like bears.”

So far, more than 170 congressional repre-sentatives have signed on to the roadlessmeasure. But the legislation likely faces anuphill battle in the Republican-controlledHouse of Representatives.

The Wilderness Coalition hopes the ini-tial strong show of support for the roadlessban– including the nearly 1.7 million favor-able comments sent to legislators– will beenough to sway the undecided representa-tives. Otherwise, Hammond said, wilder-ness areas undoubtedly will continue todegrade.

“Where roads go,” he said, “develop-ment follows.”

– A.S.

“Roadless”continued from p. 3

Mark A. Fletcher, Ph.D.President

Ken SmithSecretary

James NewmanTreasurer

Paul HughesExecutive Editor

Andria StrickleyEditor

Gary Bentrup Flag Artwork

Answer from page 2 column:the movie “Bambi”


said, and the reason for it isclear: money.

State timber revenues pro-vide more than $15 mil l ionannually for CDF programs,including ones that help restoredamage caused by logging.Called the Forest ResourcesImprovement Fund (FRIF) ,roughly 80 percent of its moneycomes from logging Jackson.(See related story page 13.)

Much of that money subsi-dizes private landowners, andHeil and the Jackson Campaignwant the FRIF funds to comeinstead from either the stategeneral fund or from a tax ontimber harvests.

To justify continued timberharvesting in Jackson, CDFstands by a 1940s mandate thatestablished that the forest beused in part for logging. TheJackson Campaign and ForestsForever believe the law is out of

date, and are urging lawmakersto rewrite the forest’s purpose.

The public comment periodfor the draft EIR closed July 19.Concerns raised by citizens andpubl ic agencies and CDF’sresponses to those issues mustbe incorporated into the finald o c u m e n t . T h e B o a r d o fF o r e s t r y t h e n w i l l d e c i d ewhether to approve the EIR andthe management plan.

Whatever the outcome,Heil said that without the legis-

lature shifting Jackson’s pur-pose the forest undoubtedlywill continue to be logged.

“We need to do somethingreally serious about changingthe mandate,” he said.

– A.S.

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“judgment proof”– meaningwhat little property they havei s e x e m p t f ro m c o l l e c t i o nunder state law.

Those defendants can havet h e i r c h a r g e s d r o p p e d i nexchange for agreeing to stayoff PL land and completingseveral hours of communityservice.

It remains unclear whenthe Mat to le su i t wi l l go tocourt. Meantime Greene andthe First Amendment Projectwill continue to work to ensurethat activists such as those inthe Mattole Valley have theright to speak out.

“We want to encouragepeople to be involved in thepolitical process,” Greene said.

– A.S.

“SLAPP”continued from p. 10

Write to your state assemblymember and senator, urging him or her tosupport legislation– or, better still, introduce legislation– to change the mis-sion of Jackson Forest from logging to restoration. Jackson can and shouldbe used to “demonstrate” and refine the best methods for bringing backancient-forest characteristics to the cutover ecosystem.

Your assemblymember or senatorState CapitolP.O. Box 942849Sacramento, CA 94249

Or look up your state legislators at www.leginfo.ca.gov.

vol. 6, no. 1 layout final - forests forever › ... › summer02.pdfalong at precisely the time of...

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