For many years and over the course of numerous legal, legislative, and administrative initiatives, Forests Forever along with other organizations and activists has pursued meaningful reform of forest practices in California. A critical crossroads now lies ahead.

On Oct. 14 in Ukiah the State of California has scheduled a public workshop to garner citizen input on a new process that could truly reform our ineffective and timber industry-dominated logging regulations! We urge you to attend the meeting in person to voice your concerns. Or, if travel to Ukiah is not possible, please attend via webinar. Click here for the official details.

In 2012 Gov. Jerry Brown signed A.B. 1492 into law, which established a one percent tax on lumber products sold in the state. A key purpose of this new revenue stream was to set up a long-overdue system for measuring logging’s comprehensive, watershed-scale environmental effects.

Relentless pressure by Forests Forever; its advocate in Sacramento, Richard Gienger; and you-- with your many letters and calls—have convinced key officials to begin to design demonstration logging projects. These pilot projects should first nail down precise existing conditions in the forests, thereby steering an unambiguous, fact-based, doable pathway toward properly assessing and controlling logging’s many impacts to water, soil, wildlife, and much more.

But key officials in state government have failed to respond—so far—to fully recognize, commit to, and allocate funds for transparency and public involvement in the process. Checks and balances must be set into place on the power and control of Big Timber! This is the public’s money-- the public has every reason to expect a meaningful role in determining its use toward actual timber reform!

After you have made plans to attend the webinar or in person, click here for suggestions on the messages you can convey when you speak!