Forests Forever Action Alerts
Logging in Giant
Sequoia Range Destroys Ancient Trees
Brown
Introduces Sequoia Preserve Bill
Posted 9/22/97
U.S.
Rep. George Brown, Jr. (D-San Bernardino) introduced the Sequoia
Ecosystem and Recreation Preserve Act of 1997 on June 26, 1997.
At this writing, nine co-sponsors had signed on to the bill.
Giant sequoias are the largest of all living things. These magnificent trees have reached 3200 years in age, diameters of 38 feet, and weights of 12 million pounds. All of the naturally occurring groves in the world are found on the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, with half of these in Sequoia National Forest.
Although they are extremely large, Giant sequoias have a shallow root system. As surrounding areas are logged, the trees are left in unnatural isolation, subjecting them to harsh winds and soil damage. Blowdown is the most common cause of destruction of the trees. There are no known cases of a Giant sequoia dying from old-age.
Photo by Carla Cloer.
Currently, many stands of these magnificent giants are not protected and are threatened by logging under the guise of "fire protection." The U.S. Forest Service acknowledges that fire is the primary tool used by Sequoia National Park to encourage regeneration and restore natural forest conditions. Yet the Forest Service prescribes burns on only 40 to 80 acres of its sequoia lands annually while it cuts over 1000 acres.
This subsidized logging, which occurs at more than twice the sustainable rate, costs U.S. taxpayers a great deal of money each year. According to the federal General Accounting Office, Sequoia National Forest has the worst below-cost timber sales record in the Sierra Nevada
Logging in Sequoia National Forest costs $1400 per acre, while similar programs in most national forests cost under $500 per acre. Over the last 10 years logging in Sequoia National Forest has cost taxpayers over $45 million.
Fortunately, Rep. Brown's bill, H.R. 2077, would set aside over 400,000 acres for restoration, recreation and wilderness. Nearly 170,000 acres would be designated Wilderness Areas, subject to stringent protection standards.
The bill would severely limit road-building in the preserve, and would ban road-building completely in Wilderness Areas. It also would preserve habitat for over 200 rare plant species found in the Sierras, as well as endangered animals including the California condor.
The preserve would provide increased opportunities for recreational activities such as hiking, camping, skiing and off-highway vehicles, while providing a stable habitat for ecological research.
Contact your representative today.
Rep. Brown cannot save the Giant sequoias on his own. Please urge your member of Congress to sign on as a co-sponsor to H.R. 2077-- The Sequoia Ecosystem and Recreation Preserve Act.
For the name and contact information for your representative, call the Capitol switchboard at 202/225-3121. You will need to provide your zip code.
Or boot up one of the following web sites: http://thomas.loc.gov or http://www.voxpop.org:80/zipper/
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