Since
its inception in 1989, Forests Forever has
been working tirelessly to prevent forest
clearcutting. Halting the destructive practice
of clearcutting – and its effects on
habitat integrity, water purity, and air quality
alike – continues to be one of our primary
objectives.
Yet
as demonstrated in a day of marathon public
testimony in Sacramento on Dec. 16, before
the California Air Resources Board (ARB),
we are again facing formidable opposition
from the timber industry.
Giant
landowners and timber cutters and their allies
in the California Department of Forestry were
able to convince seven out of 10 ARB commissioners
to vote in favor of granting Big Timber clean-air
credits for clearcutting – despite
overwhelming evidence that CO2 emissions from
clearcutting contribute substantially to global
warming.
The
seven commissioners refused to heed our warnings.
“We
strongly urge the ARB to eliminate from the
offset program the clearcutting of our forests
as a way of sequestering carbon,” testified
Forests Forever Legislative Advocate Luke
Breit at the hearing. He urged the 10 ARB
commissioners to “add provisions to
assure that forest projects do not result
in the conversion of naturally managed (uneven-aged
forests) into clear-cut plantations.”
Despite
an outpouring of public testimony in opposition
at the hearing, the pro-clearcutting forces
persuaded the ARB to condone an alarmingly
bad practice.
The board voted to grant major timber companies
such as Sierra Pacific Industries and Green
Diamond Resource Company the right to profit
from selling forest “carbon offsets”
to industrial polluters unable to meet their
statutory pollution-reduction goals under
A.B. 32, California’s landmark law to
limit greenhouse-gas emissions.
And
the board’s vote will permit the timber
companies to include clearcutting projects
among the “offsets” sold. In the
process, the timber companies stand to reap
substantial windfall profits.
The
ARB’s action defies common sense and
good science! In its rush to judgment
in favor of the timber industry, the ARB has
made an egregious error and needs to be called
to account.
We
stand ready to oppose the action in every
available forum but we cannot make the
case without your help.
Consider
the challenge we are up against. Big Timber
is spending millions to preserve its clearcutting
privileges! We need your contribution to help
us counter these powerful timber interests.
Please help us confront this formidable task
by
donating to us as generously as you can.
As
you know, we have spent much of the last two
years working to prevent this deceptive maneuvering
on the part of timber corporations. We have
repeatedly alerted our supporters about the
actions of timber companies seeking to preserve
their clearcutting privileges. We saw this
coming, and have been putting the issue before
the concerned public.
Now
we ask you to dig deep to help end once and
for all a practice that should have been outlawed
a decade or more ago.
We
greatly appreciate your taking time to consider
the consequences of clearcutting on California’s
environment, as well as the Earth’s
future. Your gift this season will be well
spent on turning back the forces of forest
destruction.
Thank
you for your donation!
