Clearcut on Shasta National Forest
Photo (c) 2003 G. Donald Bain/The GeoImages Project, University of California, Berkeley

Assaults on California's Federal Forests

The Bush administration has been busy rewriting the rules for the federal forests to favor the timber industry. From the so-called "Healthy Forests Initiative" to the abandonment of the Clinton-era Roadless Area Conservation Rule, the current administration has rolled back protections for old growth and endangered species, limited citizen participation, and racheted up logging on public forestlands across the nation.

There are 18 national forests managed by the U.S. Forest Service in California, covering 20 million acres. The Bureau of Land Management also oversees 15 million acres of public land in the state, much of it forested. Every type of forest ecosystem in the state can be found in the public forests, from the ponderosa pine and douglas-fir in Klamath National Forest to the giant sequoia groves of Sequoia National Forest, from the bristlecone pines of Inyo to the coast redwoods in Los Padres National Forest.

Forests Forever acts through direct-contact grassroots organizing, citizen lobbying, and public education and outreach. We play an important part in the fight to protect California's federal forests from destructive logging, roadbuilding, drilling, grazing, and other uses incompatible with wise management of these critical natural areas. We work for these forests so that future generations may enjoy their beauty.

The pages linked below gather together information about our federal forest campaigns, and direct you toward action resources you can use to make your own contribution.

National Forest Resources Online