Forestry

Climate change and its consequences are arguably the biggest existential threat to mankind and life on earth. Any foreseeable levels of reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will not be enough to meet the conservative 2.0º C target that climate scientists say is needed. We need to increase carbon sequestration in existing forests, wetlands and soils. This study points to conserving …

by Paul Mann Mad River Union, June 10, 2016 [excerpt:] Timber industry officials and environmental activists warn that the state’s logging safeguards have become a bureaucratic snarl that can drag out rule-making for a decade and a half and more. Experts say that 43 years after the enactment of the Forest Practice Act, timescales are so out of joint that …

The Environmental Protection Information Center (EPIC) provides a wealth of information on forestry issues in northern California, including: How a Timber Harvest Plan (THP) Works, and How to Look up a THP Timber Harvest Plans in California: Review, Tracking, and Comment Writing – THP Workshop Timber Harvest Plans in California – EPIC workshop EPIC is a community based, non-profit organization …

The Elk timber harvest plan (THP 1-19-00098-MEN) was first submitted by Gualala Redwood Timber in June, 2019. The plan calls for logging redwood trees in 157 acres near Elk Prairie, at the confluence of the North Fork and Little North Fork of the Gualala River. 117 acres are selection logging in the floodplain, plus 24 acres of clearcut on the …

by W. W. Keller August 9, 2019 © copyright 2019, Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA reprinted with permission In a letter dated July 31, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection or CalFire approved the third controversial Dogwood timber harvest plan stating, “You may begin timber operations proposed in the plan.” But while the letter says that property owner …

The controversial Dogwood timber harvest plan (THP 1-15-042-SON) was filed by Gualala Redwoods, Inc. (now Gualala Redwood Timber LLC) in May, 2015. The plan calls for logging 90~100 year old redwood trees in 300+ acres along 5 miles of the floodplain of the Gualala River. That plan was approved by the California Department of Forestry and Fire protection (CDF, also …

by Tempra Board Soundings, Summer, 2019 © copyright 2019, The Sea Ranch Association reprinted with permission Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) has been in the news lately for its efforts to compel state agencies to protect sensitive Gualala River watershed habitat from the latest in a series of Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) proposed by the Gualala Redwood Timber (GRT) company. Get …

and 3,000 signatures oppose third Dogwood logging plan by W. W. Keller news@mendonoma.com May 31, 2019 © copyright 2019, Independent Coast Observer, Gualala, CA reprinted with permission The Gualala River Park Coalition, a grassroots environmental organization, has collected more than 1,100 signatures from people who would rather turn the Gualala River floodplain into a public park than see its redwoods …

Comments by Dr. Peter Baye (coastal ecologist, botanist) on the latest version of the “Dogwood” floodplain logging plan (THP 1-15-042-SON): Download & read the entire letter (8 pages, 310 KB)   The entire letter is well worth reading, but here’s a short excerpt (not a summary) to whet your appetite: Seasonal wetlands are widespread in the floodplain of the river, …

by Mary Callahan, The Press Democrat, April 25, 2019 [excerpt:] Provoked by a new round of scrutiny over hard-fought plans to harvest timber in the Gualala River floodplain, a contingent of North Coast residents has launched a petition drive to use the land for expansion of a public park instead. It’s the stuff of fantasy for the moment, given the …

CAL FIRE has reopened the Dogwood Timber Harvest Plan (THP 1-15-042-SON) once again for public comment. Friends of Gualala River’s (FoGR) preliminary assessment of the recirculated Dogwood THP is presented in summary form below, for consideration by any citizen or organization preparing comments on the recirculated THP. FoGR encourages all commenters to independently read and assess relevant parts of the …

Presented at Friends of Gualala River’s Public Forum on March 5, 2019.   Download: Download a pdf version (4 MB) of the presentation: Importance of the Gualala River Floodplain: Presentation by Dr. Peter Baye   Audio excerpts: 1. Peter Baye describes Gualala River floodplain: 2. Peter Baye describes the evolution of the floodplain: 3. Peter Baye explains which agencies are …

  Tuesday, March 5, 2019 5 to 7 p.m. Gualala Community Center 47950 Center St., Gualala, CA 95445 You are invited to join members of Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) at a Public Forum at the Gualala Community Center on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, from 5 to 7 p.m. Jeanne Jackson, author of Mendonoma Sightings Throughout the Year, and ICO …

More river flood action photos. In this set: the Wheatfield Fork. Includes floodplain submergence (deeper than mid-February) at Twin Bridges, showing the Dogwood THP Haul Road covered in mud. Also shows Annapolis Road Bridge at Clark’s Crossing with log and wood debris on top, for the first time in decades!              

Friends of Gualala River (FoGR) and our allies once again recently prevailed in court. The timber harvest plan called Dogwood has been found twice to fail to meet California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements for failing to evaluate project alternatives with less environmental impacts. FoGR also won on the lack of a Cumulative Impact study. Dogwood III is just as …

February 14, 2019 After the heavy rains of the recent ‘atmospheric river’ event, the Gualala River floodplain (threatened by the Dogwood logging plan) is doing its job.       South Fork bridge (Twin Bridges, Annapolis Road):  Large log and debris jams on the upstream side, and downstream to the confluence with Wheatfield Fork. The willows on the opposite bank …

This December, 2018 update details where FoGR is at the end of a tumultuous year of persistence. Everyone involved in the legal battles to protect the Gualala River floodplain should heave a sigh of relief, but not too deeply, for the struggles continue. Here we learn what may be next and why FoGR folks have to remain steady and vigilant. …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer December 21, 2018 I have always regarded California as being in the forefront of environmental awareness and protection. However, after moving to Gualala 5 years ago and seeing the repeated attempts at logging in the floodplain of the Gualala River, I have been saddened by this disregard for the health …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer December 7, 2018 We would like to add our voices to those who are calling for the expansion of the regional park into the Magic Forest along the Gualala floodplain. There are so many reasons why this visionary plan would create the greatest good for the greatest number. From an …

Letter to the Editor, published in the Independent Coast Observer November 30, 2018 The Gualala River needs our help. The other rivers in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties have their floodplains — and much more — protected. But our Gualala River’s floodplain still could be logged by the Burch family that owns it. Indeed, they have tried twice to log it …