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“It’s time the giant sequoias are taken out of the agency’s
hands.”
Sequoias are the largest trees on Earth, some reaching almost 300
feet in height, attaining diameters of well over 40 feet, and weighing
up to 600 tons. They are also among the oldest living things on
the planet, some lasting more than 3,000 years
.
The 327,769-acre Giant Sequoia National Monument in the southern
Sierra was established by President Bill Clinton’s proclamation
in 2000 to protect the ancient sequoias and their unique ecosystem.
Clinton’s proclamation specifically states that “no
portion of the Monument shall be considered to be suited for timber
production.”
Though the decree explicitly banned logging in the monument, projects
already authorized were allowed to continue for two and a half years.
The Forest Service repeatedly extended this deadline, until recent
court decisions halted the remaining projects. The Forest Service
claims that logging is needed to thin the forest and “preserve
the ecosystem” in the monument. Yet the Park Service, which
manages adjacent Sequoia National Park, has avoided logging as a
management technique, using prescribed fire to maintain its sequoia
groves very successfully.
Fire ecologists and other experts discredit the log-the-forest-to-save-the-trees
theory. Cutting larger trees actually increases fire danger in most
cases. Bigger trees are more fire-resistant, and provide shade and
moisture that help retard the spread and intensity of blazes.
And by removing other tree species from sequoia groves, the big
trees are made much more vulnerable to blowdown, since they are
exposed to the direct force of the wind.
On Apr. 27, 2007, Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA) sent a letter (PDF)
to Norman K. Dicks (D-Wash.), chairman of the Subcommittee on the
Interior and Environment, asking that all funds for logging in the
GSNM be removed from the 2008 Interior Appropriations Budget.
“Unfortunately, the Forest Service continues to conduct logging
operations contrary to the intention of the Proclamation, and in
violation of numerous federal laws, regulations, and court decisions,”
the letter reads.
One of the most egregious example of these logging operations was
the removal in 2004 of over 200 of the larger trees from the most
popular tourist attraction in the monument, the Trail of 100 Giants.
The logging operation was justified by the Forest Service as “hazardous
tree removal,” in violation of the National Environmental
Policy Act.
The Forest Service has neither the expertise nor the inclination
to manage or restore natural ecosystems. The Park Service, on the
other hand, has nearly a century of experience in preserving national
monuments, many of which have become national parks.
Write to your congressional representatives and tell them you think
that Giant Sequoia National Monument should be placed under the
National Park Service. Ask them to support the Act to Save America’s
Forests.
Write to your California senators at their local offices–
mail sent to Washington is often delayed for weeks due to heightened
security:
Sen. Barbara Boxer
1700 Montgomery St., #240
San Francisco, CA 94111
Sen.
Dianne Feinstein
One Post St., #2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
You can find contact information for your representative at: http://thomas.loc.gov/
SAMPLE LETTER
Dear
_________________,
I urge you to support the Act to Save America’s Forests, a
bill that will protect the sequoia groves in Giant Sequoia National
Monument from ecologically disastrous logging and mismanagement
by the U.S. Forest Service. The act will transfer control of the
Monument from the Forest Service to the National Park Service.
In addition to keeping timber harvesting out of the monument, the
act will protect tens of millions of acres of designated core forest
areas throughout all the national forests from logging, including
ancient forests, roadless areas, riparian zones, and other designated
forest areas with high ecological value and old-growth characteristics.
The act will require native biodiversity in the national forests
to be protected and restored. It will prohibit clearcutting and
other forms of destructive logging outside the core forest areas
as well.
Please support the Act to Save America’s Forests and work
to pass it into law, so that the sequoias and national forests throughout
this country will be protected for future generations.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]
And please send a copy to Forests Forever!
Thank you for taking the time to ensure the protection of these
irreplaceable trees and the habitat they provide.
In
September 2005 Paul Hughes, the executive director of Forests Forever,
visited Washington, DC to rally support for the Act to Save America's
Forests. Read about his trip here.
Visit
“Chainsaws
in the Cathedral,” our photo gallery showing the devastation
caused by logging in Giant Sequoia National Monument.
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