A new definition for Jackson State Forest

A new bill introduced in the California state legislature would change the purpose of Jackson State Forest.

The state of California has managed Jackson State Demonstration Forest for timber production since acquiring the forest in 1947. Jackson’s original purpose was to serve to demonstrate that second-growth timber could be logged profitably (thus the demonstration in the name).

Environmentalists have charged the California Department of Forestry with overcutting in Jackson; the CDF, in turn, pointed to the original law that established Jackson, which enshrined "continous production" as the forest’s reason for existing.

On Feb 20, 2004, state Senator Wesley Chesbro (D-Arcata) introduced Senate Bill 1648, legislation that would rewrite this definition.

While the bill allows for continued logging among other uses, it repeals the language making "continous production" the main reason for Jackson's existence. Instead, the new law would emphasize "conservation, restoration, education, recreation , and forest management demonstration and research."

"My goal is to end the stalemate over management and protection of Jackson State Forest," said Chesbro in an announcement of the new legislation on Feb. 20. "I want to strike a balance between research and demonstrations on improving forest management practices; the public’s desire to see this great redwood forest restored for its habitat, watershed and recreation values; and the continuation of timber harvesting."

The bill shifts the definition of "forest lands" from "lands primarily suited to growing timber and other forest products" to "land suited to growing forest species that occur naturally in the state."
Perhaps the biggest and most important difference is the weight the new bill gives to ecological services such as water, wildlife habitat, and biological diversity. The new language lists these as "forest products," on an equal footing with sawlogs and pulpwood.

Forest activists have long sought to turn Jackson into a model of forest restoration. The new bill cites "maintenance and restoration of forestland resources" as one of the main purposes of the forest. And it specifically directs that even-aged regeneration, that is, replanting of even-aged stands in tree-farm like plantations, is to be minimized and limited. The old law clearly emphasized timber production, relegating other values merely to "consideration."

WHAT YOU CAN DO
Write to your state senators and assemblymember and let them know you support SB 1648. Write to Sen. Chesbro and thank him for introducing this legislation.

Resources

Jackson Forest Action Coalition

Senator Wesley Chesbro’s website