4a) Discussion and Possible Action Including Adoption of Resolution Requesting Scientific Review of Jackson Demonstration State Forest
(Sponsors: Supervisor Williams and Supervisor Gjerde)
Hi. Thank you for your time in hearing my input on this issue today. I have lived on the Mendocino coast since 1980, and I'm raising my three children here so they can experience the same love of the natural environment and appreciation for our coast as I did as a child.
I come to you today to ask for your full support in sending a resolution to Governor Newsom to address the public concerns of the future of Jackson Demonstration State Forest.
I have two issues of concern I would like to address.
As some of you are aware the practice of hack-n-squirt is still alive in well in JDSF, most notably this year in Chamberlain Creek. Just feet from the water course, these chemicals are now drifting into larger bodies of water after the rains. Not only are the trees left standing after poisoning, the soil, the water, the food produced for the wildlife, and for anyone who recreates in the local swimming areas (which lead into Big River), are now bathing in Imazapyr. This is just one area of concern on our hearts today, and should be on yours too.
Another concern I have is based on what we're seeing these giant Coast Redwoods are being targeted purely for their monetary value. Others, like the Tan Oak are being poisoned and left to rot. Douglas Fir hold some value, and are seen on trucks heading to the mills, but a lot of the trees are felled and left as rotting log decks next to slash piles, or simply left on the forest floors to create fire hazards. We need these trees in the ground! It is proven trees thrive in diverse forests.
There is a mass rush to log as quick and as much as the logging industry can globally, and that needs to end here, and we cannot do that without your help. As a parent and a conscientious citizen, I have been and will continue to support the brave citizens who have been putting themselves in front of logging trucks, and between saws and trees in any attempt to halt this massacre on our critically needed forests. We need your help to make legislative changes to save what we have left for our children and the generations to come.
"Worth more standing" is an understatement, they guarantee us a future, a place we climate look forward to. It has been said that Jackson Demonstration State Forest shows signs it has the potential to sequester more carbon than any other forest in California. Listen to the climate scientists that are pleading for your help in saving what is left. Send a resolution to Sacramento. We are counting on you to represent the citizens of your community. This forest needs saving, now is your opportunity to help make that happen.
Thank you for your time.
I am opposed to this resolution. Having seen managed versus unmanaged forests throughout California, I feel that managed stands tend to be healthier and more fire resilient, and generally feature superior infrastructure. JSDSF, like other State Forest in California, is committed to scientific study and adaptive management, which I feel is also lacking state-wide on most of our public lands. I've personally spent time in the JSDSF and find it to be a well-balanced, mixed-use forest which is to be preserved as open-space in perpetuity.
My name is Abraham Cohen, and I am a resident of Fort Bragg, CA who grew up here in this town. I'd like to start by voicing my gratitude to our public officials, including Supervisors Ted Williams and Dan Djerde, who are displaying to courage to demand action on this profound issue along with so many members of our community.
An immediate moratorium on logging within JDSF would be one of the most effective steps that we could take locally to respond substantively to the climate emergency that we face as a species on this planet. According to contemporary scientific findings, redwood forests sequester more carbon than any other ecosystem on the planet. Given this fact and many others, CalFire is failing to responsibly manage our public forests.
Even in some of their most recently-published documents, CalFire makes the irresponsible claim that the extent to which human activities have influenced the climate crisis is unknown. Not only does such a statement fly in the face of the consensus of the global scientific community, it also represents misinformation that misleads the public and justifies the deforestation that CalFire are designing, approving, and profiting from (along with private timber operators).
For the good of all life on this planet and our future generations, we must shift our approach in managing forests to one that sequesters carbon and humbly supports the beautiful web of life that sustains all of us. In short, we must do what is good for the environment instead of what is desirable for certain pocket books.
My name is Matthew Simmons and I am a resident of California. On behalf of the Environmental Protection Information Center or (EPIC) I'd like to thank Supervisors Williams and Djerde for introducing this resolution. EPIC is a grassroots non-profit organization working to defend the forests of Northwestern California. EPIC, on behalf of its 15,000 members and supporters, supports the resolution and urges the Board to pass it.
I am a Mendocino County resident and reside on the coast and speak in support of the resolution contained in agenda item 4a. My family and I are avid hikers and mushroom foragers and have spent many hundreds of hours in JDSF. CalFIRE's current forest management practices result in the systematic harvesting of larger and older trees. It is time that the mission of JDSF and it's management practices be changed to support the growth and sustainability of the forest for all to use rather than lumber production. Thank you for your support of this resolution and support of protecting this valuable county resource. Dennak Murphy
I am a Mendocino resident and active past contributor to the scientific work of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In the following article, my colleague, John O’Brien and I have outlined substantial concerns with Cal Fire’s modus operandi: https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/cal-fire-timber-industry-must-face-an-inconvenient-truth/
In my experience, Cal Fire's actions routinely run strongly counter to its verbal and written statements, guidelines laid out in its planning documents and THPs, and the prevailing science. Their written responses to my science-based questions regarding JDSF over the past year have been vague, evasive, reflect blatant cherry picking of the literature to justify existing practicers, and employ unskilled spin. Please read Wilson and Duggan's piece entitled “Why it is time for a ‘CalFire Divorce”: The case for establishing an independent forest and resource management agency to secure healthy forests in California” (Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal), which lays out apparent conflicts of interest and disregard of Cal Fire's charter, etc.
I am a big proponent of studies, and have authored scores of my own, but another study is not what is needed to improve Cal Fire’s management practices. Indeed, in this context, another study will only give cover to existing bad practices and prolong resolutions. There is already a vast scientific literature that would suffice for making policy changes regarding JDSF. However, Cal Fire has repeatedly demonstrated a bold willingness to ignore studies.
With all of this in mind, I encourage The Board of Supervisors to do more than recommending a study. It is too little, and too late. At best, the major planned logging will already be finished by the time the study is complete. That said, if asking for a study is all that the BOS has the fortitude to recommend, then I would encourage you to insist that such work be performed by entities fully independent of Cal Fire and JDSF. The document should be peer-reviewed and those comments and authors' responses to those comments posted in the public domain. This is how the IPCC process is managed, and it ensures transparency. For the report to have any chance of being credible, Cal Fire should not be the entity to select reviewers or coordinate the review process.
You make a very important point in the draft Resolution that JDSF is operating with "goals not yet refreshed to reflect the State's recent climate commitments and has commenced logging.” Yet, the "Be it Resolved..." statements don't address this (and, by extension, the sidestep related public concerns). Even if not your intention, some will construe this as implicitly blessing the continuation of the logging, enabling the locking-in of adverse climate/wildfire impacts that could have otherwise been avoided. Why not insist that the study happen *before( continued logging so as to keep the horse in front of the cart and maximize the lands that benefit from any resulting "refresh" of management practices?
My name is Richard Ettelson, I'm a resident in Mendocino County. I strongly support approval of Resolution 21 concerning the Jackson
Demonstration Demonstration State Forest (JDSF).
It's my understanding that the Resolution is being addressed to Governor Newsome and the California Natural Resources Agency, which
is important because the JDSF and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection which rubber-stamps approval of practically every
Timber Harvest Plan (THP) put in front of them have shown themselves incapable in addressing forest mananagement practices to
address Governor Newsome's exectutive order (dated 10-7-21) concerning climate change.
The JDSF has already dismissed the carbon sequestration issue in their THP's with a few paragraphs citing their purported uncertain
scientific consensus about global warming and the benefits of sparing older second-growth stands to mature into the towering giants that
once covered the north coast. Given the JDSF record of dismissing public comments that don't agree with their predetermined THP
decisions, I'm concerned that they will simply ignore the Resolution necause it will interfere with their operations. The JDSF has a
conflict-of-interest in considering the BOS's concerns since "getting out the cut" finances their operations and anything interfering with
that is not in their self-interest. How can they be expected to now conduct an impartial inquiry that challanges their inadequate scientific
conclusions, techhnical incompetence, and poor management of the State Forest they are supposed to be responsible for?
The Resolution requesting a scientific review of the JDSF should be undertaken by the Governor's Office, an independent third party, or
some outside agency who should write the review instead of asking the weasel if the chicken house is adequately protected. A temporary
moratorium on all THP's on the JDSF would be appropriate until their existing policy can be corrected to protect any further damage being
caused by their poor management of our State Forest.
Richard Ettelson, PO Box 311, Mendocino, CA 95460. rettelson@yahoo.com
Hi. Thank you for your time in hearing my input on this issue today. I have lived on the Mendocino coast since 1980, and I'm raising my three children here so they can experience the same love of the natural environment and appreciation for our coast as I did as a child.
I come to you today to ask for your full support in sending a resolution to Governor Newsom to address the public concerns of the future of Jackson Demonstration State Forest.
I have two issues of concern I would like to address.
As some of you are aware the practice of hack-n-squirt is still alive in well in JDSF, most notably this year in Chamberlain Creek. Just feet from the water course, these chemicals are now drifting into larger bodies of water after the rains. Not only are the trees left standing after poisoning, the soil, the water, the food produced for the wildlife, and for anyone who recreates in the local swimming areas (which lead into Big River), are now bathing in Imazapyr. This is just one area of concern on our hearts today, and should be on yours too.
Another concern I have is based on what we're seeing these giant Coast Redwoods are being targeted purely for their monetary value. Others, like the Tan Oak are being poisoned and left to rot. Douglas Fir hold some value, and are seen on trucks heading to the mills, but a lot of the trees are felled and left as rotting log decks next to slash piles, or simply left on the forest floors to create fire hazards. We need these trees in the ground! It is proven trees thrive in diverse forests.
There is a mass rush to log as quick and as much as the logging industry can globally, and that needs to end here, and we cannot do that without your help. As a parent and a conscientious citizen, I have been and will continue to support the brave citizens who have been putting themselves in front of logging trucks, and between saws and trees in any attempt to halt this massacre on our critically needed forests. We need your help to make legislative changes to save what we have left for our children and the generations to come.
"Worth more standing" is an understatement, they guarantee us a future, a place we climate look forward to. It has been said that Jackson Demonstration State Forest shows signs it has the potential to sequester more carbon than any other forest in California. Listen to the climate scientists that are pleading for your help in saving what is left. Send a resolution to Sacramento. We are counting on you to represent the citizens of your community. This forest needs saving, now is your opportunity to help make that happen.
Thank you for your time.
I am opposed to this resolution. Having seen managed versus unmanaged forests throughout California, I feel that managed stands tend to be healthier and more fire resilient, and generally feature superior infrastructure. JSDSF, like other State Forest in California, is committed to scientific study and adaptive management, which I feel is also lacking state-wide on most of our public lands. I've personally spent time in the JSDSF and find it to be a well-balanced, mixed-use forest which is to be preserved as open-space in perpetuity.
Bill Vaughan, Registered Professional Forester
My name is Abraham Cohen, and I am a resident of Fort Bragg, CA who grew up here in this town. I'd like to start by voicing my gratitude to our public officials, including Supervisors Ted Williams and Dan Djerde, who are displaying to courage to demand action on this profound issue along with so many members of our community.
An immediate moratorium on logging within JDSF would be one of the most effective steps that we could take locally to respond substantively to the climate emergency that we face as a species on this planet. According to contemporary scientific findings, redwood forests sequester more carbon than any other ecosystem on the planet. Given this fact and many others, CalFire is failing to responsibly manage our public forests.
Even in some of their most recently-published documents, CalFire makes the irresponsible claim that the extent to which human activities have influenced the climate crisis is unknown. Not only does such a statement fly in the face of the consensus of the global scientific community, it also represents misinformation that misleads the public and justifies the deforestation that CalFire are designing, approving, and profiting from (along with private timber operators).
For the good of all life on this planet and our future generations, we must shift our approach in managing forests to one that sequesters carbon and humbly supports the beautiful web of life that sustains all of us. In short, we must do what is good for the environment instead of what is desirable for certain pocket books.
My name is Matthew Simmons and I am a resident of California. On behalf of the Environmental Protection Information Center or (EPIC) I'd like to thank Supervisors Williams and Djerde for introducing this resolution. EPIC is a grassroots non-profit organization working to defend the forests of Northwestern California. EPIC, on behalf of its 15,000 members and supporters, supports the resolution and urges the Board to pass it.
This is great news... Support, support, support this proclamation! Good work!!! Thank you! Laura & Marty Clein
I am a Mendocino County resident and reside on the coast and speak in support of the resolution contained in agenda item 4a. My family and I are avid hikers and mushroom foragers and have spent many hundreds of hours in JDSF. CalFIRE's current forest management practices result in the systematic harvesting of larger and older trees. It is time that the mission of JDSF and it's management practices be changed to support the growth and sustainability of the forest for all to use rather than lumber production. Thank you for your support of this resolution and support of protecting this valuable county resource. Dennak Murphy
I am a Mendocino resident and active past contributor to the scientific work of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). In the following article, my colleague, John O’Brien and I have outlined substantial concerns with Cal Fire’s modus operandi: https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/cal-fire-timber-industry-must-face-an-inconvenient-truth/
In my experience, Cal Fire's actions routinely run strongly counter to its verbal and written statements, guidelines laid out in its planning documents and THPs, and the prevailing science. Their written responses to my science-based questions regarding JDSF over the past year have been vague, evasive, reflect blatant cherry picking of the literature to justify existing practicers, and employ unskilled spin. Please read Wilson and Duggan's piece entitled “Why it is time for a ‘CalFire Divorce”: The case for establishing an independent forest and resource management agency to secure healthy forests in California” (Golden Gate University Environmental Law Journal), which lays out apparent conflicts of interest and disregard of Cal Fire's charter, etc.
I am a big proponent of studies, and have authored scores of my own, but another study is not what is needed to improve Cal Fire’s management practices. Indeed, in this context, another study will only give cover to existing bad practices and prolong resolutions. There is already a vast scientific literature that would suffice for making policy changes regarding JDSF. However, Cal Fire has repeatedly demonstrated a bold willingness to ignore studies.
With all of this in mind, I encourage The Board of Supervisors to do more than recommending a study. It is too little, and too late. At best, the major planned logging will already be finished by the time the study is complete. That said, if asking for a study is all that the BOS has the fortitude to recommend, then I would encourage you to insist that such work be performed by entities fully independent of Cal Fire and JDSF. The document should be peer-reviewed and those comments and authors' responses to those comments posted in the public domain. This is how the IPCC process is managed, and it ensures transparency. For the report to have any chance of being credible, Cal Fire should not be the entity to select reviewers or coordinate the review process.
You make a very important point in the draft Resolution that JDSF is operating with "goals not yet refreshed to reflect the State's recent climate commitments and has commenced logging.” Yet, the "Be it Resolved..." statements don't address this (and, by extension, the sidestep related public concerns). Even if not your intention, some will construe this as implicitly blessing the continuation of the logging, enabling the locking-in of adverse climate/wildfire impacts that could have otherwise been avoided. Why not insist that the study happen *before( continued logging so as to keep the horse in front of the cart and maximize the lands that benefit from any resulting "refresh" of management practices?
Thank You,
Evan Mills, Ph.D
Mendocino, California
My name is Richard Ettelson, I'm a resident in Mendocino County. I strongly support approval of Resolution 21 concerning the Jackson
Demonstration Demonstration State Forest (JDSF).
It's my understanding that the Resolution is being addressed to Governor Newsome and the California Natural Resources Agency, which
is important because the JDSF and the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection which rubber-stamps approval of practically every
Timber Harvest Plan (THP) put in front of them have shown themselves incapable in addressing forest mananagement practices to
address Governor Newsome's exectutive order (dated 10-7-21) concerning climate change.
The JDSF has already dismissed the carbon sequestration issue in their THP's with a few paragraphs citing their purported uncertain
scientific consensus about global warming and the benefits of sparing older second-growth stands to mature into the towering giants that
once covered the north coast. Given the JDSF record of dismissing public comments that don't agree with their predetermined THP
decisions, I'm concerned that they will simply ignore the Resolution necause it will interfere with their operations. The JDSF has a
conflict-of-interest in considering the BOS's concerns since "getting out the cut" finances their operations and anything interfering with
that is not in their self-interest. How can they be expected to now conduct an impartial inquiry that challanges their inadequate scientific
conclusions, techhnical incompetence, and poor management of the State Forest they are supposed to be responsible for?
The Resolution requesting a scientific review of the JDSF should be undertaken by the Governor's Office, an independent third party, or
some outside agency who should write the review instead of asking the weasel if the chicken house is adequately protected. A temporary
moratorium on all THP's on the JDSF would be appropriate until their existing policy can be corrected to protect any further damage being
caused by their poor management of our State Forest.
Richard Ettelson, PO Box 311, Mendocino, CA 95460. rettelson@yahoo.com