7/28/04

ACTION ALERT

NEARLY THERE: OAK WOODLANDS AND HERITAGE TREE BILLS MOVE ON!

Two bills Forests Forever has supported from the beginning are going into the home stretch in the Assembly.

The Oak Woodlands Protection Act
The Oak Woodlands Conservation Act, Senate Bill 1334 (formerly SB 711), sponsored by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) would help protect California’s remaining oak forests. Currently, no laws exist to mitigate the removal of oaks. Senate Bill 1334 would require counties with an oak woodlands management plan to include provisions for replacing oaks or restoring oak habitat. The bill provides several ways this might be accomplished, including restoration of oak woodlands, purchasing conservation easements, or contribution to the Oak Woodlands Conservation Fund.

The bill is scheduled to come before the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Aug. 4. After passing this committee, the bill will go to a floor vote. Powerful pro-development interests have been opposed to this bill all along, and passage will not be easy.

The Oak Woodlands Protection bill has been amended several times in its passage through the legislature, but even as amended it is well worth supporting, since it would provide additional tools for protecting oaks and restoring oak habitat.

The Heritage Tree Preservation Act
The Heritage Tree Preservation Act (SB 754) by Sen. Don Perata (D-Oakland) would ban the cutting of California’s last old-growth trees, defined as trees that meet species-specific diameters and were alive in 1850, California’s first year of statehood.

The bill would protect selected species– coast redwoods, giant sequoias, Port Orford cedars, douglas-firs and hardwoods– on non-federal forestland. This includes land owned by major timber companies.
California has already lost over 97 percent of its ancient trees, some of which are more than 2,000 years old.

The bill is now in the Assembly Appropriations Committee, and is scheduled for a hearing on August 4.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Forests Forever has pushed for passage of the Oak Woodlands bill since November 2003. We have supported the Heritage Tree Preservation Act since its inception– one of our board members wrote virtually all of the initial bill.

Now we are in sight of victory. But timber and development interests remain fiercely opposed. Your phone calls, letters, and e-mails are needed to help push these bills past the opposition.

We are asking our supporters to contact two influential assemblymembers, Joseph Canciamilla (D-Pittsburg) and John Dutra (D-Fremont), and urge them to do everything in their power to pass the Heritage Tree Preservation Act, SB 754, and the Oak Woodlands Protection Act, SB 1334.

Write to Assemblymember Judy Chu, Chair of the Assembly Appropriations Committee and urge her to vote YES on both SB 754 and SB 1334.

Also, please contact the assemblymember from your district and tell him or her to actively support both SB 1334 and SB 754.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Assemblymember Judy Chu, Chair, Assembly Appropriations Committee, Rm. 2114, State Capitol, Sacramento, CA 95814. Fax: 916/319-2181.

Phone numbers and e-mail addresses for members of the Assembly Appropriations Committee can be found on the California Assembly website at:
http://www.assembly.ca.gov/acs/newcomframeset.asp?committee=43

You can find information on how to contact Canciamilla, Dutra, and all other members of the Assembly at:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html

SAMPLE MESSAGE

RE: Support SB 754 and SB 1334

Dear Assemblymember ____________________:

I urge you to vote YES on both SB 754, the Heritage Tree Preservation Act, and the Oak Woodlands Protection Act, SB 1334.

Senate Bill 754 protects our oldest and largest trees, which have become a symbol of California to people around the world. The bill bans the cutting of California Heritage Trees, defined as those trees on non-federal forestland that were alive in 1850 and meet species-specific diameter requirements. Please support SB 754, because once these trees are gone, they are gone forever.

Senate Bill 1334, The Oak Woodlands Protection Act, would add much-needed protection for our state's oak woodlands, which are disappearing at a rate of 20,000 acres a year. Our oak woodlands are not only beautiful but also provide important habitat for an astonishing array of plants and animals. These state treasures should not be heedlessly removed for shopping malls and housing developments. Please support the Oak Woodlands Protection Act, SB 1334.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Address
City, State, Zip

For more information on the Heritage Tree Preservation Act and to read the bill text, visit:
https://www.forestsforever.org/archives_resources/e-alerts/heritagepres.html

To find out more about the Oak Woodlands Protection Act, visit:
https://www.forestsforever.org/archives_resources/e-alerts/oaksalert.html