April 25, 2011
The Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest has worked since 2000 to reform management of California's 48,000-acre redwood forest located in Mendocino County. January 15, 2011 marked a momentous milestone in the campaign.
After two and one-half years of difficult and sometimes acrimonious debate, the broadly based Jackson Advisory Group (JAG) delivered a consensus set of recommendations for long-term management of Jackson Demonstration State Forest to the California Board of Forestry. All members of the JAG supported the overall package of recommendations, and every individual recommendation in the report was supported by a strong majority, and in most instances by all, of the JAG.
| |||
A historical perspective is needed to understand fully why the report of the JAG, entitled "A Vision for the Future," is a remarkable achievement.
Historical Background
During the 1990s, Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF) became a major source of revenue for the Department of Forestry. Toward the end of the decade, Jackson logging revenues were putting $10-15 million per year into the state treasury and supporting a variety of forestry programs.
The profitability of the forest resulted in substantial pressure on Jackson Forest managers to keep logging at high levels. At the same time, the operating budget of the forest was kept at a low level. Staff had difficulty in simply "getting out the cut." Recreation got little funds or attention, and even important road maintenance and decommissioning were deferred. Larger and smaller clearcuts (groups) were used routinely.
| |||
was compromised by participation of JDSF staff, and all of its recommendations were ignored.
After all requests for revisions in management practices were ignored, the Campaign to Restore Jackson State Forest (the Campaign) was formed in 2000. After its efforts to negotiate with the state were rebuffed, it filed a series of lawsuits over the next four years--all of which were successful and led to a cessation of logging that lasted until 2008.
CDF and the local timber industry were both angry at the loss of timber and money. For years, coming together seemed impossible, as CDF tried to ignore the Campaign and local timber interests criticized it for causing the loss of timber jobs and timber supply.
In 2006, Ruben Grijalva, a new director of CDF, started a dialog with me, the principal of the Campaign. We quickly agreed to seek to bring all stakeholders in the forest together to develop consensus recommendations for future management of the forest. Measures to implement this approach were placed within a proposed 2008 Management Plan for JDSF. With the approval of this plan, the Jackson Advisory Group (JAG) was formed and given the charge to provide consensus recommendations for long-term management of Jackson Forest.
Reaching Consensus
Given the diversity and breadth of interests of the JAG and the contentious history, it might seem that only a miracle could bring about consensus. Whether it was a miracle or not, consensus was achieved--and it was a robust consensus.
A major impetus toward consensus was a unanimous desire to put the past confrontations and animosity behind. But even more important was a realization, which developed over time, that everyone could have their core needs met without denying those of others. It took hard work and creativity to come up with the final package, but the end result is impressive for its detail and comprehensiveness.
Key agreements were:
| |||
This met the concern of the public and those concerned about ecological health, and it was satisfactory to the timber representatives.
Agreement to limit JAG allocation and silviculture recommendations to a 40-year planning horizon. This limit was crucial in reaching agreement over dividing allocations to older forest structure development between Late Seral and Older Forest Development. In the former, harvesting would at some point cease. In the latter, harvesting would continue; but at the end of the 40-year planning period, there would be little difference in the forest conditions under either management regime.
This agreement resulted in most new allocations to create older forest structure to be in the category of Older Forest Development. This was satisfying to timber interests who did not want to see significant areas of the forest withdrawn from future production, and it was acceptable to those wanting more old forest in the future.
Agreement that even-aged management would be restricted to peer-approved research and development projects and that such projects would be undertaken as part of the research program centered on Centers of Excellence. This met the concern of those who were concerned that unspecified "research needs" would be used to justify even-aged management. The assurance that even-aged management would be acceptable in the context of a structured research program was acceptable to the scientists and researchers.
All members supported more attention to recreation and protection of aesthetic and spiritual values. We can look forward to Jackson Forest becoming a major recreation resource for Mendocino and the state.
The report includes recommendations intended to make Jackson Forest into a major center of research and demonstration on redwood forestry. Importantly to me, clear safeguards are recommended to ensure that only legitimate, peer-reviewed, funded research projects will be allowed to use timber operations inconsistent with Matrix Silviculture.
All those who supported the Campaign and its goals should take satisfaction in what has been accomplished. We have come from having our ideas completely ignored to having them become central elements in the JAG Report. These recommendations still need to be adopted by the Board of Forestry and incorporated into the management plan for the forest. The journey is not yet complete, but we have reached the most important and difficult milestone.
A summary and the full report of the JAG to the Board of Forestry are available at: www.jacksonforest.org
Vince Taylor is a member of the Jackson Advisory Group. The views expressed here are solely his own.
More Information About
Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest
More Articles...
TOC for Forest & River News, Spring 2011