State approves forest plan

Published on Nov. 8, 2002
© 2002 Associated Press

Despite a lawsuit by environmentalists, state regulators have approved a management plan for the Jackson Demonstration State Forest that includes continued logging.

The state Board of Forestry adopted the plan Wednesday for a 13,000-acre forest with old-growth characteristics, such as trees with large limbs, which the endangered marbled murrelet uses for nesting.

The forest in Mendocino County is a working forest, meaning it is used for research, education and demonstration of sustainable forestry practices, including logging.

Before the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection implements its timber harvest plan it must present a more detailed plan for the forest's future to the board, said CDF Deputy Director Ross Johnson.

Paul Hughes, executive director of the Forests Forever Foundation, praised the board for paying attention to public displeasure with the plan, but called the final product an "extremely flawed document."

In October, the foundation and the Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest sued the state, claiming the environmental impact report that supported the plan and the plan itself do not comply with state environmental laws.