Our forests are well protected

By John A. Campbell President & CEO The Pacific Lumber Co.

Those who market forest products sometimes forget lnw tough it is to 8et product to market. Here, lumberman Campbell sets out what oru state requires - Editor.

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recognize iL I can't count the number of times I've read articles that imply there are no resfraints on timber harvesting. Nothing could be further from the ruth. Califomia, for example, has the most comprehensive and stringent timber harvesting regulations in the country, but I doubt that many people are even aware of the degree of environmental protection this provide.s.

For exanple, the Pacific Lumber Co. harvests redwood trees from our own 193,000 acres in Califomia" This privately-owned land is zoned exclusively for growing and harvesting timber. Here are the steps a company like ours must take before it can harvest rees on its own property:

Fint, aTimberHarvest Plan (THP) must be prepared by a registered professional forester (RPF). RPFs must have a minimum of seven years experience in forestry work and must demonstrate their capabilities by successfully completing a foresters' examination administered by the state. A Timber Harvest Plan is the functional equivalent of an Environmental Inpact Report (EIR), and the plan considers how harvesting may affect fish, wildlife, water quality and other aspects of tbe envirorunent The THP describes the limits of the harvest operation and details the measures that are designed to minimize effects on the environment throughout the operation. Prepratiur of the THP involves many months of work, often including the gathering of resource data for several years.

When it is complete, the THP is typically an inch-thick and represents many hours of specialized labor. On completion, the THP is submitted to the California Depar[nent of Forestry & Fire Protection. They circulate the plan to other state agencies which have an int€rest in orjurisdiction over resources that could be affected. These agencies may include Fish & Game, Mines & Geology, Regional Water Quality Boar( Parl6 & Recreation and others.

The plan must take into account the cumulative impact of the hanest. For example, if other activities have taken place in the vicinity in the past, will the impact of the current plan combine with the effects of the other activities to cirus€ a cumulative detriment to the environment?

Formally, there are no legislative distinctions between the harvesting of old growth and young growth. In practice, however, plans for the harvesting of trees that are over 200 years old are scrutinized to a much higher degree even though they are on pfivate property. These plans cost more to develop and take longer to be approved.

The code says that the review for Timber Harvest Plans should take no longer than 45 days - unless there is mutual agreement to extend the approval period. As anyone who has dealt with government agencies knows, if the agency wants more time, you give it to them. The alternative is to have your plan denied. Since January l99},ithas taken us an average of 91 days to get approval for our plans. In one case, it took 219 days before we leamed that our plan was approved.

Public notices are posted for each plan, and the public has a right to comment or bring an action against the plan. Environmental activists and their lawyers bave brought an increasing number of lawsuits against lumber cmrpanies in the past years, but they have had few victories because company foresters are filing very thorough THPs and are following good forest practices.

The average cost of a Timber Harvest Plan has skyrocketed in recent years. Before 1990, the average cost was between $150 and $500. Today

Story at a Glance

Redwood lumberman debunks media myth that there are no restraints on timber harvesting ... steps that must be taken before trees on privately-owned land can be cut agencies that must approve harvest plans.

the average cost is between $10,000 and $30,000 due to increasing regulations. These costs are necessarily reflected in the price of lumber today.

The most important part of the law is what must be done after harvest. The land must be restocked to a strictly-defined level within five years. Because 907o of our harvest operations involve only selective and partial harvest, our lands usually exceed the restocking requirements immediately after harvest. In addition, we take precautions to minimize erosion in order to maintain soil production and protect water quality and fish habitat. In short, we put as much effort into growing trees and protecting the environment as we put into making quality wood products.

California has always. been protective of its forests. Those protections have paid off. We have beautiful forests throughout our state, including our speccacular park syst€m, and we can continue to have a strong forest products industry if we don't regulate it out of existence.