The Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest was started by
Mendocino County residents determined to halt the large-scale commercial
logging that is destroying this public treasure. Our goal is to see
that 50,000-acre Jackson State Forest is restored to an old-growth
redwood forest for recreation, habitat, and education.
 Jackson State Forest is located in Mendocino
County, where there are not any other large public holdings of redwood
forest. It is within three hours drive of San Francisco. (Map)
The 50,000 acres of
Jackson Forest is an island of public land in the midst of half a million
acres of industrially owned, devastated timberland. Jackson State Forest
provides the only possible large sanctuary in Mendocino County for salmon
and other endangered redwood-related species. It could also be a
recreation haven for the millions of people who live in the Bay Area and
Central Valley.
The position of the
Campaign is that the state ought to be restoring Jackson State Forest to
old growth for its precious ecological and recreational, educational and
research values, not logging it like another big industrial company.
The Campaign is not
against all cutting of trees. The Campaign is against is timber
production as an end in itself. Our position is set forth in the
Campaign's Bill of
Rights for Jackson State Forest, which states in part:
-
All timber
operations should be demonstrably consistent with the goals of
restoring the forest to old growth, enhancing recreation opportunities,
or protecting wildlife and botanical habitat. Appropriate selective
logging in areas of the forest that have been clearcut and re-grown
densely could well contribute to restoration.
-
All timber
harvest plans and operations shall demonstrate the highest attainable
sensitivity to aesthetic and ecological values.
It makes no public,
economic or environmental sense to use Jackson State Forest as an
extension of the timber industry in Mendocino County. It comprises less
than 5% of the timberland of the county. There is no shortage of
timberland in Mendocino or other redwood counties. There is a grave
shortage of mature redwood forests.
The Case for Restoration
The recreation,
habitat, and education values of a mature redwood forest have increased
enormously since Jackson State Forest was acquired in 1947 to demonstrate
that second-growth redwood could be logged profitably. California's
populations has tripled, while open spaces have been consumed by suburban
sprawl and forests have been destroyed by logging. People, plants,
animals, birds, and fish would all benefit enormously from a restored
Jackson State Redwood Forest.
The Case for Restoring
Jackson State Forest (PDF file, requires
Adobe
Acrobat Reader) explains in detail why changing
the mission of Jackson State Forest from logging to restoration would best enhance the public benefit -- as a publicly
owned forest should.
The Campaign's Lawsuit
Learn more about the Campaign and Jackson State
Forest:
Help Jackson Forest and the
Campaign
If you care about
redwoods, salmon, recreation, education, or your children find out how you can help Jackson
Forest and the Campaign.
Private Contacts: You can send
information to the Campaign in complete privacy.
Contact public officials. Write
public officials about your views on the future of Jackson State Forest.
It is especially important to let your state legislators know that you
support restoration of Jackson State, not continued large-scale logging.
Contact information is provided here for CDF, the Board of Forestry, the
governor, legislators whose districts cover Mendocino County, and the
Board of Supervisors of Mendocino County. |
