2/16/06

DEADLINE EXTENSION FOR JACKSON FOREST EIR COMMENTS

The deadline for public comments given in the email alert about the draft EIR for the Jackson State Forest sent out Feb. 9 has been changed.

The new deadline is Mar. 1, 2006 at 5 p.m.

On Dec. 16, 2005, on the eve of the holidays, the CDF released its revised draft EIR for public comment. Once the comment period is over, and if the board approves the document, there will be nothing to keep logging from beginning again on Jackson Forest.

The CDF’s preferred alternative would reinstate the same forest management plan that was in place when Forests Forever brought its lawsuit. It would log 30 percent of the forest, allow an annual timber harvest of 31 million board feet, and permit clearcutting for “research purposes.” The plan is essentially business as usual on the forest.

Located on the Mendocino coast, Jackson is the largest of eight state-owned forests in California, covering nearly 50,000 acres. It is the only state forest that is home to a significant percentage of mature redwoods, an increasingly rare and valuable forest ecosystem for both wildlife habitat and recreation.

Comments may be sent to:

George D. Gentry, Executive Officer
Board of Forestry and Fire Protection
PO Box 944246
Sacramento, CA 94244-2460
Email: board.public.comments@fire.ca.gov

SAMPLE LETTER


Dear Mr. Gentry:

I would like to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Report for Jackson Demonstration State Forest.

Alternative C-1, the proposed project, permits too much logging and provides too little protection for old-growth forest, wildlife habitat, and watercourses.

I urge you to revisit the environmental impact report for Jackson Demonstration State Forest, and develop an alternative that would:

o restore the natural forest ecosystem;
o safeguard fish and wildlife habitat;
o protect water quality;
o eliminate clearcutting as a management tool;
o cordon off old growth from harvest; and
o end herbicide use.

Thank you,

Your Name
Your Address

Please send us a copy of your letter!

The complete DEIR for Jackson State Demonstration Forest can be seen at the CDF website:

http://www.fire.ca.gov/php/rsrc-mgt_jackson_deir_2005.php

 

Forests Forever:
Their Ecology, Restoration, and Protection
by
John J. Berger

NOW AVAILABLE
from Forests Forever Foundation
and the Center for American Places