THP Comments and Controversies

Helen Libeu, forest landowner, in testimony to the Little Hoover Commission, February 24, 1994:

"The largest single part of the [Timber Harvest Plan] is the cumulative impacts assessment and it is a farce. It says right in the instructions, 'no actual measurements are intended,' and that's before they tell you that water temperature impacts are more important when approaching the threshold of tolerance for certain species. How are you going to tell if you can't measure the temperature? Those four guys who went out for a whole year to assess water quality were not allowed to take a thermometer; they had to stick their hands in the water and guess."

An unsound THP is worse than no THP at all, discrediting, when itself discredited, the goals which it purports to embody.

Timber Harvest Plans- A Flawed Effort to Balance Economic and Environmental Needs (Report #126, June 1994) Little Hoover Commission

"The Documents in the Case" -- a compilation (by Redwoods Forever) of documents which may usefully be quoted in public comment or news articles on CDF practices. These documents highlight the inadequacies of the current Forest Practice Rules, as implemented, to adequately protect our forests and rivers, and the habitat of threatened salmon and other species.

“Anyone can identify destructive forest practices. You don’t have to be a professional forester to recognize bad forestry any more than you need to be a doctor to recognize ill health. If logging looks bad, it is bad.” -- Gordon Robinson, The Forest and the Trees: a Guide to Excellent Forestry

The poster child of bad forestry --

GualalaRiverPoster 136.33 KB

GualalaRiverPoster 685.45 KB

A Clearcut Controversy: Gualala Redwoods, Inc.
What IS Going On Behind the Sea Ranch?

Helicopter dropping jellied gasoline for burn after clearcut. Photo, Steve McLaughlin, Independent Coast Observer

Friends of the Gualala River
HTML version of Presentation to Policy and Management Committee, BOF, re Gualala Clearcuts
PowerPoint version of Presentation to Policy and Management Committee, BOF, re Gualala Clearcuts
Letter to Policy and Management Committee, BOF, re Gualala Clearcuts
A compendium of pictures of logging around the Gualala River, 1997-2003
Gualala Clearcutting Presentation (HTML)
Gualala Clearcutting Presentation (PowerPoint)
Gualala River Poster (PowerPoint)
Gualala Temperatures Poster (PowerPoint)
Gualala Sediment Poster (PowerPoint)
Yet More Gualala Photographs
Gualala Clearcuts Pictures, Slideshow, and Screen Saver
Damage on the Gualala (Letter & Photos)
HTML version of Presentation to Policy and Management Committee, BOF, re Gualala Clearcuts
PowerPoint version of Presentation to Policy and Management Committee, BOF, re Gualala Clearcuts
Board of Forestry Appeal Hearing-- Gualala Redwoods THP on the Gualala (see also RRRAUL 101 letter, Gualala Logging Challenged)
PowerPoint Presentation re Men 101
Is Gualala Burning? Water Quality Board Chides Practices
A Bigger Picture (Gualala River Improvement Network)
GRIN Letter to CDF re Gualala Logging
Comments on a GRI THP
Gualala River recommendation (P. 236) from the Recovery Strategy For California Coho: "MC-GU-03 Enforce existing, SWRCB/Department, bypass flow, permit conditions of North Gualala Water Company diversions on North Fork Gualala River. The North Fork Gualala River provides an important source of coldwater input to lower mainstem and estuary".

Appeal of Men 101 Denied
PowerPoint Presentation to BOF re Men 101
Board of Forestry Appeal Hearing -- Gualala Redwoods THP on the Gualala (see also RRRAUL 101 letter, Gualala Logging Challenged

Pocket Canyon THP Aerials
Pocket Canyon THP 1-02-216 SON : SECOND REVIEW occurred September 4, 2003. The plan has now been recommended for approval by CDF. The Public Comment period closes approximately Sept. 25. See www.pocketcanyon.org for more information.
Pocket Canyon Overflight Video (Real Player - requires high speed connection)
Mays Canyon Pre-Harvest Inspection PDF
POCKET CANYON PROTECTION GROUP (Link)

Letter of Concern re Logging 

The Epiphany

On Certification of Mendocino Redwoods Company: a Willow Creek THP
A Willow Creek Controversy
Judge Refuses to Halt Timber Harvest Plans
Clarification: An Occidental THP
Restoration at Willow Creek

Logging Failures Near Jenner

  Three Guerneville THPs
Return of the Munchie THP

Clar Tree THP Denied
Clar Tree, Austin Creek News
1_26_99
Aerials of Austin Creek, Guerneville

Water ruling sticks in Joy Road battle

Friends of Mill Creek -- THP Disputed

An Aftermath of Logging

Comment to CDF on THP 1-01-365 SON
Water Quality Non-Concurrence on THP 1-01-365 SON
Levine Comments on THPs THP 1-01-365 SON Rockpile Creek, Gualala River THP 1-03-185 SON South Fork Mainstem, Gualala River

January 6, 2004, Sacramento, California: The California Board of Forestry decided today to uphold the Department of Forestry's denial of timber harvest plan THP 1-00-484-SON on Haupt Creek, in the Gualala River watershed. (For background on this THP, see various items below). The vote was 5 to 2 in favor of upholding the denial. Congratulations to all who worked on this.
Haupt Creek Denial Appealed to BOF in January
Old Growth and Haupt Creek -- A "Devastating Impact" in Process? Part II -- the Final Review at CDF !!!
Haupt Creek Redux -- Recommended for Denial
NORTH COUNTY OLD-GROWTH LOGGING FOUGHT (Press Democrat)
More Haupt Creek Comments (Note: on Friday, September 5, 2003, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection officially denied THP 1-00-484 SON, the plan to begin logging the Haupt Creek old growth coastal redwood forest in the northwest corner of Sonoma County.)
Old Growth and Haupt Creek -- A "Devastating Impact" in Process? Pre-Harvest Inspection Report for Timber Harvest Plan 1-00-484 SON (with photographs)

Forestry News (10/24/99)
Lawsuit Halts Austin Creek Logging Plan
Neighbors to Litigate Austin Creek THP
Watershed Worries

Georgia-Pacific Clearcut near Ft. Bragg, - "Logging is Good for the Land", Charles Hurwitz, Pres. Maxxam
 

California Forestry Legislation

For Watershed and Forestry Related Bills, Search on Keyword (e.g., "forestry") at: Legislation

Environmental Legislation in California
See "Forestry", under "Conservation and Natural Resources" -- Planning and Conservation League (PCL)
| See also: FORESTRY REFORM BILL PACKAGE

Key Open Government Laws: The primary four laws that regulate the public's access to government and government records are the Ralph M. Brown Act, the California Public Records Act, the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act, and the Freedom of Information Act.

Enviromental Law and the Russian River (S.F. Weekly article)

SB 810 (Link)
SB 810 Comments
Support SB 810 (Note: SB 810 has now passed both the Assembly and the Senate. Now the Governor needs to sign it. This bill would help the Regional Water Quality Control Boards with the review of Timber Harvest Plans. Please urge the Governor to sign it. See the Letter to Governor Davis Re SB 810)
On October 12th, 2003, Governor Davis signed SB 810, which gives Water Quality more authority in reviewing THPs.

SB 217 (Link)
SB 217 Comments

SB 1963

G.R.I.N. to Governor Davis

'No Tree Left Behind" -- California Budget Trailer Bill
The Governor has added language to a Budget Trailer Bill. This language is great for the timber industry and horrible for the environment.

California Forestry Regulation

Board of Forestry Schedules, Agendas, etc.

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection
Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology
California State Water Resources Control Board
California Department of Fish and Game
California Department of Water Resources
California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES)
California Resources Agency Departments and Programs
California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal/EPA) Home Page
Office of Administrative Law Homepage
Board of Forestry 
Board of Forestry - Proposed Rule Packages
Forest Practice Rule Revisions (Jan 1, 2000 -- Coho Considerations)
California Code of Regulations [The CCR website can be searched in a variety of ways, including by CCR Title Number, and Section Number at Go to a Specific Section. (Include "Title" in the search, but not "Section"; e.g., "Title 14" and "916" for "Title 14, Section 916"). For forestry, the relevant sections are: (Title 14) Sections 890 - 1663.9. ]

NMFS Criticizes a THP and Leans on BOF
WEMA -- a Play in Two Acts  
DFG and WQ Get Tough on THPs
Letter to Resource Agency re CEQA Revisions (1998)
NMFS Grows Demanding -- NMFS Letter to C.D.F. re THP review
Letter to Resource Agency re CEQA Revisions (1998)
The Bad News About DFG's 1600 Process
Letter re DFG 1600 Process
BOF Hearing on the 'Broken' THP Process
Coastal Commission Approves Santa Cruz County's Zoning Restrictions on Logging
Fish and Forestry News
Letter to BOF on Large Woody Debris
Letter to Gov. Davis re CDF Staff Funding
Board of Forestry Disciplines Forester
RRRAUL Letter to C.D.F. re Landslides
RRRAUL Letter on SB 1856 
Presentation to BOF, Aug. 2, 1999
Testimony on Forestry and Salmon
Preserving California’s Wild Things: Demise of California wildlife a legacy of this generation
New Report Details Maxxam/PL's Wholesale Noncompliance with Environmental Protection Standards: Company Racks Up Over 300 Violations in Five Years -- (EPIC)

When Will CDF Join the 21st Century?
Letter re CDF Computerization
CDF Slowly Joins the 21st Century: CDF THP Status Table
When will CDF join the 21st century and properly computerize? - group letter, CDF reply.

Notes on Forestry Reform

Judicial Review

Important Critical Habitat Decision - 9th Circuit Court of Appeals. Recovery vs. mere survival: conservation and critical habitat include recovery, not just survival. Key points from the decision -- "Congress, by its own language, viewed conservation and survival as distinct, though complementary, goals, and the requirement to preserve critical habitat is designed to promote both conservation and survival. Congress said that “destruction or adverse modification” could occur when sufficient critical habitat is lost so as to threaten a species’ recovery even if there remains sufficient critical habitat for the species’ survival... Congress, by its own language, viewed conservation and survival as distinct, though complementary, goals, and the requirement to preserve critical habitat is designed to promote both conservation and survival. Congress said that “destruction or adverse modification” could occur when sufficient critical habitat is lost so as to threaten a species’ recovery even if there remains sufficient critical habitat for the species’ survival...we conclude that the critical habitat analysis in the six BiOps was fatally flawed because it relied on an unlawful regulatory definition of “adverse modification” and it impermissibly substituted LSRs for critical habitat. Neither of these errors was harmless..." full text of decision here

Seattle Post-Intelligencer article "Court blocks cuts in Northwest forests -- A federal appeals court shot down a series of timber cuts planned for national forests in the Pacific Northwest yesterday, ruling that regulations ostensibly protecting the spotted owl and other threatened species are "blatantly contradictory to Congress' express demand. In a ruling covering 6.9 million acres but with potentially even greater implications, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it's not enough for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to merely keep threatened species from dying out.The government also must protect natural areas deemed critical to the recovery of battered animal populations so that they no longer need protection under the Endangered Species Act, said the court, which is based in San Francisco and covers nine states..."

U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal Decision: S.F. Baykeepers vs. Christine Todd Whitman, Administrator of EPA (4/15/2002)
CATs Settles Lawsuit with the EPA on the effect of Pesticides on Salmon and Wildflower Endangered Species
Judge orders EPA to protect salmon from pesticides
Judge Refuses to Halt Timber Harvest Plans
Water ruling sticks in Joy Road battle
Neighbors to Litigate Austin Creek THP
Lawsuit Halts Austin Creek Logging Plan

THP Journalism

How to submit Letters and Op-Eds

NORTH COUNTY OLD-GROWTH LOGGING FOUGHT
GUALALA LOGGING PLAN CHALLENGED
LOGGING PLAN BRINGS PROTESTS
JUDGE REFUSES TO HALT TIMBER HARVEST PLANS
LOGGING PLAN DRAWS PROTEST
SEWAGE DISPOSAL BLOCKS LOGGING
LOGGING PRIVATE PROPERTY
RIO NIDO SLIDE CAUSE DEBATED
HAUSER ANGLING FOR FISH, GAME POST
FEDS FAULT SALMON RULES
L-P SELLING OPERATIONS ON N. COAST WITHIN YEAR
LEARNING THE PROCESS
LIBEU RELENTLESS IN PURSUIT OF TIMBER TRUTHS
JUDI BARI TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW, PEERS SAY
HELEN LIBEU IS AFTER YOU!
COUNTY MAY PROTECT DWINDLING VALLEY OAKS
SUPERVISORS LEERY OF WILSON'S `VAGUE' PLAN FOR COHO SALMON
ON THE INSIDE NOW
COUNTY LOGGING
WAR FOR THE WOOD
LOGGING PRIVATE PROPERTY

Forestry and Fishery News - Coho listed under California Endangered Species Act - PALCO Shut Down
Bush's So-Called "Healthy Forest Plan" - EPIC ALERT!!!!
L.A. Times: Forest Policy Failure

MetroActive News & Issues | Logging in the Russian River Area
MetroActive News & Issues | Logging Practices
MetroActive News & Issues | Logging
MetroActive News & Issues | Logging, II
MetroActive News & Issues | Logging Roads
MetroActive | SantaCruz | Timber!
MetroActive News & Issues | Timber Harvest Plans

Giants of Men
Saving Money, Healthy Living
Habitat: the Need for Deadwood
Saving Redwoods Pamela Conley article
In a Nutshell: Food for Foragers
Defending the Redwoods

June 30, 2004 - Russian River Chamber of Commerce, Supervisor Mike Reilly, Assemblywoman Patty Berg, State Senator Wes Chesbro, and U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey give 2004 Environmental Awards to Pocket Canyon Protection Group (presenter: Helen Libeu) and Russian RiverKeeper (presenter: Marty Griffin), recognizing "extraordinary efforts to protect and educate our community on the environment".