Posted 3/9/98

Pacific Lumber Co. (PL) and government spokespersons on Feb. 27 announced that an "agreement in principle" had been reached concerning PL's Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) and Sustained Yield Plan to cover the company's 190,000-plus acres of holdings including Headwaters Forest. The HCP was the key element remaining a mystery after the much-publicized Headwaters "deal" was unveiled in 1996.

The HCP would provide insufficient protection for imperiled species and set the stage for a vote in the California legislature on whether to approve state funding for the purchase of 7500

Photo courtesy Djuna Ivereigh

acres-- less than 13 percent-- of the Headwaters Forest in Humboldt County.

The agreement contains provisions that would allow PL to destroy critical habitat of forest-dependent species including the Coho salmon and Marbled murrelet. The agreement's restrictions on logging near streams are extremely weak, calling for a 30-foot "restricted harvest" zone along fish-bearing streams and an additional 140-foot "selective cut" zone outside that. Thus at least some cutting would be allowed right up to the stream bank. Apparently it would be left up to the loggers to define "selective" cutting in the outer zone.

This falls far short of the respected Forest Ecosystem Management Assessment Team (FEMAT) federal watercourse standards-- the "best available science" on salmon protection standards. FEMAT calls for a 300- to 600-foot "no cut" buffer zone to provide an 80 percent chance for Coho to survive 100 years.

One benefit of buffer zones is that they help absorb silt-laden runoff from nearby logging operations. As loggers remove trees they reduce the forest's protective canopy, exposing soil to erosive direct rainfall and increased wind. Eroding soil adds silt to streams. Salmon eggs require cold, clear water and silt-free streambed gravel for best survival conditions. Siltation clouds the water and makes the streams shallower, which increases water temperatures. Wild Coho populations along the northern California coast-- once estimated at up to 400,000 individuals-- have plummeted to an estimated 10,000 fish (two and a half percent of their original numbers). This is due in large part to habitat degradation caused by logging. This degradation has occurred under the inadequate state Forest Practice Rules (FPRs) currently in force. The HCP standards represent a weak compromise between the abysmal FPRs and the strong FEMAT guidelines.

The agreement also fails to meet the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (FWS's) own final recovery plan for the Marbled murrelet, a federally listed threatened seabird that requires old-growth trees as nesting habitat. The FWS plan says all occupied and potential old-growth nesting sites should be preserved if the murrelet is to recover.

Owl Creek Grove, one of the Forest's primary ancient groves, could be logged under the agreement. The grove is a known murrelet nesting site. With less than four percent of old-growth redwood habitat remaining, all extant ancient redwoods must now be spared from the chainsaws.

Arguably the most high-profile HCP in the nation to date, the PL plan is under close scrutiny. It may set a powerful precedent for salmon protection throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The HCP would protect scattered remnants of old-growth forest for only 50 years which represents a meaningless time scale for ancient forest recovery. Major changes to the Endangered Species Act-- now under debate in Congress-- and/or effects from logging on adjacent lands could undermine any protections provided by this weak HCP.

What you can do:

With PL and the government pushing hard for the state's portion of acquisition funding, it is now more important than ever to contact California Senate President John Burton and Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa. Tell them that the "agreement in principle" on the Headwaters HCP is insufficient. A suitable HCP would provide:

• Watershed protections consistent with FEMAT, saving a 300- to 600-foot "no cut" zone along fish-bearing (Class I) watercourses.

• Protection for all old-growth redwood groves, including Owl Creek, which are critical habitat for several listed species, including the Marbled murrelet. Less than four percent of these ancient groves remain.

The Honorable John Burton
Senate President Pro Tem
P.O. Box 942848
Sacramento, CA 94248
916/445-1412 phone
916/327-7229 FAX

The Honorable Antonio Villaraigosa
Assembly Speaker
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249
916/445-0703 phone
916/445-0764 FAX
a45@assembly.ca.gov

Also contact:

Sen. Byron Sher
State Capitol
Room 2054
Sacramento, CA 95814
916/445-6747 phone
Senator.Sher@sen.ca.gov

Assemblywoman Carole Migden
State Capitol
P.O. Box 942849
Sacramento, CA 94249-0001
916/445-8077 phone
Carole.Migden@assembly.ca.gov

Thank Migden and Sher for their work to date in basing state funding approval on an HCP that would protect all ancient redwoods and threatened species. Urge them to continue to withhold funding until the HCP is strengthened as outlined above.