“Crush” in Terrain Magazine

“Crush”

As space on valley floors runs out,
the hills are alive with the sound of bulldozers

[excerpt:] …environmental activists like Chris Poehlmann are challenging hobbyists and industrial growers moving into coastal forests where timber companies are the traditional villains. Poehlmann lives on eight acres in Annapolis, a small North Coast town just south of Gualala. Next to him, a couple from Las Vegas, a lawyer and an optometrist, are putting in up to 30 acres of pinot noir on a 62-acre property that Poehlmann calls a “vanity project.” Nearby, a Spanish company called Codornieu, owner of the Artesa winery, wants to put in 105 acres of pinot noir, the largest of eight pending projects covering almost 400 acres of Sonoma County timberland.

For Poehlmann… vineyards are the death knell of the coastal coniferous forests. “It’s a classic battle of trying to save what’s left,” he said. “These forests are being hammered with unsustainable logging practices as it is. The wine industry is permanently deforesting these acres, which is actually the worst thing that could happen…”