The past 6 months have been punctuated with various activities regarding proposed Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) in the Mattole though some seem to be moving slowly. An Eel River Sawmills (ERS) plan (THP-1-03-045) in the McGinnis Creek drainage was approved but appears to be stalled for now.
Currently there are six Pacific Lumber Company (PL) THP's in the Mattole being watched by forest activists. They include areas where the primary old growth Douglas fir resides and are located on the Upper and Lower North Fork.
a THP 1-03-007 "Skagit" on Long Ridge in the Lower North Fork was filed last year; public comment is now closed. The 100+ acres in the plan are not covered under the HCP as it was bought after the Headwaters Deal. Removed from the plan were over 7,000 feet of new road construction and plans to yard with ground-based equipment. The plan states there is no "Late Successional Forest," but according to activists who have visited this area, one area is full of old-growth trees.
a THP 1-04-003 "Ridge" / THP 1-03-235 "Foxtrot" are two plans in the Rattlesnake Creek drainage, northeast of the town of Honeydew. This drainage has seen more logging in the past 5 years than any in the Mattole, and these plans would impact an additional 120 acres. The Forest Practices Program staff urged the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CDF) to question the harvest rate in this watershed, as it suffers from ongoing cumulative impacts that include huge geologic instabilities. Unfortunately, despite failing roads, active landslides, and degraded riparian zones, CDF deems it within the Forest Practice Rules. The plans call for the harvest of some of the only old growth in the drainage, new road construction, clearcuts on steep areas with high erosion ratings, tractor yarding, and winter operations. Foxtrot is pending approval (there was a non-concurrence filed for it). THP 003, more than half of which calls for clearcut, was recently approved.
a THP 1-04-022 "Green Ridge" is in the Oil Creek drainage, one drainage west of Rattlesnake, and was recently approved. It involves 59 acres, 27 of which will be clearcut, and proposes using ground-based equipment and cutting another 1,160 feet of new road. Road construction is one of the most damaging land management practices, as it is often permanent and potentially causes excessive sediment in the creeks below.
a THP 1-04-054 "Solitaire" is in the Devil's Creek drainage, a tributary of Oil Creek. Second review is likely to be in the first week of June, with the public comment
period open until June 14. This plan proposes primarily clearcut operations on 30 of 36 acres. Most of the acreage is very steep, unstable, and has a high to extreme Erosion Hazard Rating.
a THP 1-03-143 "Two Point" is in the Lower North Fork and proposes to log 126 acres, with almost two thirds of that clearcut. 80 acres of the proposed cut are in an area recognized by forest advocates as an old growth treasure With 2,000 feet of new roads, ground-based yarding, and clearcutting, this plan would have a huge destructive impact. As we go to press, public comment is expected to open any day now.
Last fall several plans in the Lower North Fork of the Mattole were logged. The integrity of this forest--the largest old growth forest in the Mattole--is rapidly disintegrating. Three years ago we boasted that this area still retained 3,000 acres of old-growth Douglas fir. Now, a rough estimate puts it at about 2,200 acres, with all of those acres being shot through with clearcuts and applications of herbicides. The impact on native wildlife is devastating, and is not independently monitored.
MRC continues to scrutinize THPs in the Mattole. If you want to write a comment letter or just be kept informed of the Forest Practices Review Program, please call either Brook or Ali at the MRC office in Petrolia: (707) 629-3514. Comment letters are sent to the Calif. Dept. of Forestry in Santa Rosa.
Other than MRC's work, the direct action component of the Mattole Forest Defenders is gearing up with camp-outs, capping the March to the Mattole (see below.) For forest defense info, call Northcoast EF! (707) 825-6598 or email savethemattole@yahoo.com.
Great thanks to Ali Freedlund and Brook Trout from the Mattole Restoration Council who provided most of this text. We encourage support of the good work of the MRC!
