How to Tame an Unruly THP

When you receive an Intent to Harvest letter from the harvest planner, who is a Registered Professional Forester, because you are located either within 300 feet of planned logging or 1,000 feet downstream from logging, you should respond with a letter to the RPF (copy to CDF) noting all of your concerns regarding potential problems created by the proposed logging.

Have a meeting with neighbors in the area. Call RRRAUL (707-869-3302). Create a local group and name it, elect a chairman. This is important for legal protections.

At all group meetings, get the names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of concerned citizens, for future meetings. Create a phone tree, and divide phone duty up among volunteers.

Call CDF at 707-576-2959 to ask when the THP is submitted. Purchase a copy of the THP from CDF and make copies for your group, as this will be cheaper than CDF charges. Take up a collection to pay for copying. Also, buy copies of the Forest Practice Rules at CDF: 135 Ridgeway Avenue, Santa Rosa (near the Junior College).

Study the THP and the Forest Practice Rules. Take pictures (where you can) of the logging area and note problems. Write letters to CDF, to other government agencies, politicians, and the press. The public comment period on THPs may end as early as 15 days from the date of 1st review. All public letters addressed to CDF will go into the THP file at CDF, and can serve as the basis of later litigation, should that be desirable. CDF is required to address all relevant questions raised by the public. Criticisms of the THP should be specifically tied to the Forest Practice Rules, as it is CDF's legal obligation to accept or reject the THP based upon its conformance to the Rules. In correspondence to CDF, always reference the THP by its number, THP n-nn-nnn SON.

Call CDF to find out when 1st Review is scheduled for the THP. Review days are Monday and Thursday, so call Friday and Wednesday to learn if your THP is scheduled for the next review day. If possible, have a group meeting prior to 1st Review to discuss which topics will be discussed by which of your group members. Time is limited at the review meetings.

A pre-harvest inspection (PHI) of the THP area is conducted by CDF between 1st and 2nd review, so ask CDF for a copy of the comments made by the Inspectors, and also of the question posed by 1st review to the inspectors. CDF will maintain an open file which contains all official documents pertaining to the THP and which you may inspect at CDF during business hours (8-12, 1-4:30, M-F).

If there is a concern about damage to public roads, contact Sonoma County Roads, and ask for an inspection of the pertinent road(s). Sometimes the Public Works Department requires the Timber Owner to post a bond on the roads.

Request that the California Dept. of Fish and Game, the Dept. of Water Quality, and the Dept. of Mines and Geology assist in the THP review, where this is appropriate. Ask that they attend the Pre-harvest Inspection.

If the THP involves potential effects upon a creek or river in which threatened or endangered species spawn, or such a creek or river is downslope from the THP area, go to CDF and request a (free) copy of "Coho Considerations", which contains information on anadramous salmonids, and to which CDF is supposed to pay at least some heed.

Call CDF to learn when the 2nd review will be held. It's very important to attend both 1st and 2nd review.