Jerry Brown Addressing Headwaters Rally in 1997. Photo by Nicholas Wilson.
Governor Brown to Convene Forest Task Force
In his final State of the State address, Governor Brown highlighted the need for reforms to how California’s forests are managed and directed the creation of a “task force composed of scientists and knowledgeable forest practitioners to review thoroughly the way our forests are managed and suggest ways to reduce the threat of devastating fires.…[and] consider how California can increase resiliency and carbon storage capacity.”
Hey, Governor, EPIC agrees and we are here to help! We will gladly serve on your task force. And not to toot our own horn, but no one’s better suited than EPIC. Since 1977 we’ve been one of the prime advocates in revising our Forest Practice Rules. We have brought over 100 lawsuits—lawsuits that resulted in the discussion of cumulative effects in a Timber Harvest Plan, forced timber companies to plan for a sustained harvest of timber products, and protected sacred ancient forests. Heck, our longtime attorney, Sharon Duggan, literally wrote the book on California’s Forest Practice Rules.
We totally agree that a task force is necessary. For too long, the Board of Forestry and CAL FIRE have been dominated by the timber industry, and look at the result: species that depend on mature forests, like the northern spotted owl and Humboldt marten, are headed towards extinction; we have replaced fire-adapted forests with overly dense fiber plantations; and mismanagement of our forests have turned them from carbon sinks to sources! It is a sorry state of affairs. We did not arrive at this place by chance, but by mismanagement. We need a revised approach to how we regulate forestry.
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