Floodplain Logging

by Glenda Anderson, The Press Democrat, August 9, 2016 [excerpt:] North Coast environmental groups have followed through on their threat to sue Cal Fire over its approval of a 400-acre logging operation within the floodplain of lower Gualala River. The lawsuit, filed last week by Forest Unlimited and Friends of Gualala River, alleges state forestry officials failed to meet mandated …

Date: August 8, 2016   On Thursday, August 4, 2016, Forest Unlimited and Friends of Gualala River, represented by attorney Edward Yates, filed a lawsuit in Sonoma County Superior Court to compel the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE) to set aside the agency’s July 1st final approval of the “Dogwood” timber harvest plan in Sonoma County. …

Local author and environmentalist Jeanne Jackson speaks out against the “Dogwood” logging plan in the floodplain of the Gualala River. Ms. Jackson writes the popular weekly “Mendonoma Sightings” column in the Independent Coast Observer as well as the blog, MendonomaSightings.com. She is also the author of Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year: The Fascinating World of Nature on the Mendocino/Sonoma Coast, …

by Will Parrish, North Bay Bohemian, July 27, 2016 [excerpt:] . . . In this story, we highlight several timber-industry fights playing out in the North Coast. These sorts of struggles will shape the long-term well-being of rural economies, the health of local ecosystems and the well-being of indigenous cultures. . . . LOGGING THE GUALALA FLOODPLAIN Last year, Gualala …

We counted 180 – 200 participants, with dozens of spontaneously prepared hand-made signs and artwork. Speakers included Jeanne Jackson, Eric Wilder, Charlie Ivor, Larry Hanson, Peter Baye and Noreen Evans.                     See also, video: Jeanne Jackson speaks at the Rally for the River

Environmentalists argue a California agency approved a 330-acre logging project that could damage sensitive floodplain habitat. July 15, 2016, by Taylor Hill, copyright © 2016 TakePart [excerpt:] This time, it’s not iconic old-growth redwood groves facing the ax along California’s northern coast, but the trees that are slated for logging are nearly as environmentally important, conservationists contend. Last week, Cal …

by Associated Press, Thursday, July 14, 2016 [excerpt:] Opponents of a logging plan that includes century-old redwood trees have notified California forestry officials that they plan to sue unless the state rescinds its approval of the project. . . . The groups says the “Dogwood” timber harvest plan along the lower Gualala River will degrade floodplain habitat for plants and …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, July 13, 2016 [excerpt:] Foes of a plan to log hundreds of acres of timberland along the lower Gualala River, including century-old redwood trees, have notified state forestry officials they intend to sue over the project unless the state rescinds its approval. The official notice, submitted Friday to Cal Fire Director Ken Pimlott, came …

There will be a Community Protest Rally at Gualala Point Regional Park on Saturday July 16, from 11 am to noon. Sonoma County Parks has waived the entrance fee for this event. Enter the park on the west side of Highway One. Just after the pay station, there is a parking area called the Salal parking area. We will congregate …

by Ric Hauer, Professor of Limnology, The University of Montana Copyright © 2016, The Conversation US, Inc. [excerpt:] Although they may not commonly be viewed as hotspots for biodiversity, gravel-bed river floodplains are by far the most important feature for nature across the landscapes of western North America. This is because gravel-bed rivers disproportionately create high diversity of habitats, concentrate …

  Date: July 11, 2016 On Friday, July 8, 2016, Friends of Gualala River and Forest Unlimited attorney Edward Yates sent CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) a Notice of Intent to Sue over the agency’s final approval of the controversial, delayed “Dogwood” Timber Harvest Plan. The applicant is Gualala Redwoods Timber (GRT), which purchased the timberland …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, July 4, 2016 [excerpt:] Cal Fire has granted final approval to a contentious timber harvest plan that includes logging century-old redwood trees along the lower Gualala River, though environmental advocates who object may challenge it. The 330-acre “Dogwood” harvest plan had been subjected to a rare three rounds of public review and comment before …

On July 1, 2016, CAL FIRE approved the five mile long, 400+ acre “Dogwood” timber harvest plan (THP; logging permit) that lies entirely within the floodplain of the designated Wild and Scenic Gualala River.   Under current California forestry regulations, the floodplain (riparian) redwood forest is supposed to be protected against all logging disturbances like skid trails and haul roads …

Letter from botanist & coastal ecologist Peter Baye on the recirculated “Dogwood” logging plan in the floodplain of the Gualala River (May, 2016) — download pdf: Comments by Peter Baye on the recirculated THP-01-15-042-SON Dogwood Brief excerpt: Conclusions and Recommendations The addition of skid road maps without corresponding data and analysis of sensitive floodplain forest resources is meaningless for impact …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, May 10, 2016 [excerpt:] A disputed plan to log century-old redwoods along the Gualala River is running into stiff opposition from environmentalists who say the days of timber operations near North Coast streams, even on land long used for commercial logging, should be over. Opponents of the proposed timber harvest in northwestern Sonoma County …

CalFire has announced the re-opening of public comment on the “Dogwood”  floodplain logging plan (THP 1-15-042-SON) until Monday, May 16, 2016 at 5 p.m. CalFire says they are only re-opening the plan for public comment on the new material provided by the forester for landowner Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT). The recirculated timber harvest plan (THP) documents are located in CalFire’s …

April, 2016 To: Roger Burch, President of Redwood Empire Sean Burch, Vice-President and GM of Redwood Empire Henry Alden, Forester Re: The Timber Harvest Plan dubbed “Dogwood.” Dear Sirs, We are residents of the Mendonoma Coast. We treasure our wild river, the Gualala River. We realize the Burch family recently acquired the 29,000 acres of Gualala Redwoods land previously owned …

Sign this petition to help protect the floodplain of the Gualala River! Gualala Redwood Timber has proposed a logging plan targeting redwood forest in the floodplain of the Gualala River ( THP 1-15-042-SON “Dogwood”). To protest this destructive logging plan, please sign this petition at Change.org. We implore you not to log alongside the Gualala River! The petition was started …

What You Can Do To Help Stop the Timber Harvest Plan in the Floodplain of the Gualala River, THP 1-15-042 “Dogwood” This may be the last call for urgent action on the “Dogwood” Timber Harvest Plan (THP), which is now (end March 2016) in the final stages of a permit decision by CAL FIRE. On Thursday, March 17, a community meeting …

Thursday March 17, 2016 at 5:30 p.m. at the Gualala Community Center The Gualala Municipal Advisory Council (GMAC), a committee that reports to the Mendocino County Board of Supervisors, is holding a public forum on the proposed “Dogwood” Timber Harvest Plan (THP) for Gualala area residents and other interested members of the public. The public forum is scheduled for Thursday …