In Brief: A carefully considered, scientifically based plan to protect Sierra Nevada forests and human dwellings in them is scrapped by the Bush administration.

08/15/04

Protecting forests and wildlife in the Sierra Nevada has always been part of Earthjustice's mission -- in fact, our first case protected the Mineral King Valley from a massive development project. Every year millions travel from around the world to experience the Sierra's high peaks, alpine lakes, and deep glacial valleys. Thankfully, much, but not all, of the "Range of Light" is protected forever in a series of wilderness areas and national parks.

While lacking the granite spires of the high country or the stunning topography of the east side, the millions of acres of forests that cover the mid-elevations (3,000-9,000 feet) of the western slope support much of the Sierra's plant and animal life. Tragically, in the last 100 years, many of the species endemic to the western slope have been pushed to the edge of extinction, or in some cases, over it. Almost always the cause is loss of habitat.

Still, despite years of logging, the Sierra has significant amounts of old-growth forests. Even in the heavily used national forests thousands, and in some places tens of thousands, of acres of unprotected old growth exist -- often remarkably close to major urban areas. In the Tahoe National Forest, less than a two-hour drive from California's state capital, Duncan Canyon and the North Fork of the American River have thousands of acres of mixed conifer old growth. These stands are an important part of the region's ecosystem and provide critical habitat for the Sierra's wildlife, including the endangered California spotted owl, the northern goshawk, the Pacific fisher, and the elusive and highly endangered wolverine. In addition to their value as habitat, these forests provide drinking water for millions of people.

Recognizing that the Sierra's national forests were at a critical juncture, scientists, conservationists, business owners, local residents, and the U.S. Forest Service worked together for over a decade to craft the 2001 Sierra Nevada Framework -- a comprehensive plan for managing 11.5 million acres of national forest land in the Sierra. While far from perfect, the Framework committed the Forest Service to a plan that preserved forest ecosystems and protected mountain communities from wildfire. More than four million acres of old-growth forest would be off limits to logging; riparian areas would receive an increased level of protection; and local communities would be protected from wildfire by a fuel reduction program that focused on removing and trimming small diameter trees and brush near populated areas.

Despite widespread support (earlier this year, thousands wrote Regional Forester Jack Blackwell in support of the Framework), the Bush administration has decided to scrap the Framework. In its place it created "Forests with a Future," a forest management and marketing strategy that claims to "improve protection of old forests, wildlife habitats, watersheds and communities in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Modoc Plateau."

This is political and bureaucratic hogwash. Forests with a Future is more a subsidy for logging companies than an effective approach to forest management. It doubles logging in the range, increases the size of trees timber companies can cut from 20" to 30" in diameter, allows for logging deep in the backcountry, and rolls back guidelines that have protected endangered species for more than a decade. Forests with a Future is simply a way to ensure that in the future the public's forests and creatures will bear more of the costs and the timber industry will get more of the profits.

With the future of the Sierra's biological diversity at risk, it is critical that the Forest Service manage the Sierra's public lands with an emphasis on ecosystem protection, not timber production. It would be a tragedy if the Bush administration placed the short-term interests of industry above the long-term interests of the American public by sacrificing our natural heritage for their profits.

Vawter "Buck" Parker, Executive Director
buckparker@earthjustice.org