New Logging Plan in Mattole Threatens Owl Habitat, Redwood Park, Native Forests and Ancestral Indigenous Land.


Please send comments!

Time is short, but this is important and you can take action in just a few minutes.

Humboldt Redwood Company (HRC) has filed a new Timber Harvest Plan (THP) located in the headwaters of the upper north fork of the Mattole River. The areas slated to be logged and herbicided lie directly adjacent to Humboldt Redwood State Park, within the ancestral territory of the Bear River Band.

The public comment period will close on September 2.

A multitude of comments will make it clear to Calfire and to HRC how much the community values this forest. While public comment alone may not stop the destruction, it slows the permitting process and opens the door to environmental lawsuits on issues that could otherwise be ignored.

You can write about your own concerns, or copy or modify the bullet points below. Your comments can be as short or long as you like. Posing direct questions is good. Click on address below to open a new message window on your device, already addressed. Then cut and paste or pen your own message.

Send Public comments to:
santarosapubliccomment@fire.ca.gov
Subject line: Public Comment on THP 1-21-107

Issues of Concern:
Unlogged Forest-Plan proposes cutting of Douglas fir and hardwood forest that has never been logged. Humboldt Redwood Company did not adequately disclose such stands inside the plan area.

Northern Spotted Owl habitat – Logging is proposed around multiple NSO nest sites. Logging near nests is likely to displace owls. NSO population continues to decline throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Climate Change – Effect of ongoing climate change on future growth and survival rates of natural forest and re-planted areas is not being considered. HRC cites outdated climate science. CALFIRE has consistently sided with HRC, agreeing with the company that there are many decades left to sequester the greenhouse gases this kind of logging will release. As we all now know, this is not the case.

Toxic Herbicides – The proposed use of herbicides in the plan area, including glyphosate (active ingredient in Roundup, a Monsanto prooduc). The toxicity of glyphosate is not addressed, even though recent jury verdicts have awarded millions of dollars to victims of Roundup exposure who developed cancer.

Standing dead trees and greenhouse gases – The release of greenhouse gases and contribution to catastrophic climate change by herbiciding large numbers of hardwood trees which are left to rot has not been quantified or addressed.

Fire Danger – Increase in fire danger due to a buildup of dead shrubs and trees due to herbicide use. This is a threat to community safety as well as ecological health. The replacement of large, fire resistant trees with more flammable, crowded tree plantations undermines fire resiliency.

Fire Risk Assessment – Lack of assessment of flammability and fire danger to nearby residents. This project is next to Humboldt Redwood State Park and the increased fire danger that will result from this logging threatens the habitat within the park as well as park visitors.

Forest Conversion – Replacing mixed hardwood/conifer forest with planted Douglas fir saplings constitutes conversion of natural forest to tree plantations.

Regeneration – HRC cites anecdotal evidence about the regeneration of faster growing redwood stands to defend their logging of slower growing Douglas fir and hardwoods. This THP is largely hardwoods and Douglas fir. Forest regeneration speed and success is uncertain as climate change progresses.

Erosion – Intensive logging and road building is proposed on unstable slopes in an area with very high seismic activity and numerous landslides. The fact that this is being proposed upslope from watercourses threatens the survival of juvenile salmon and rainbow trout/steelhead in streams below this logging operation.