Western Lumber e Building Materials

Redwood Pork Fqcts

\[/HEN THE Congress begins hearings this month

YY on the desirability of establishing a national redwood park, there is one thing you can be sure will result. A torrent of misinformation. For if there is one really outstanding thing about the continuing controversy surrounding the pa.rk question, it is the high degree of inaccuracy in the information put forth by most of the conservationist groups.

Unfortunately, their distortions and non-facts have been picked up and repeated and reprinted as gosp"l by many of the magazines, newspapers, television arld rafio stations that should know betber.

To edd to the problern, the lumber industry until recendy had not presented its arguments in one clear, calm and well-thought out package that could be easily and quickly digested and understood by everyone. The industry had put out a mass of information, tho none filled that description.

But now the National Forest Products Association has put out a srnall booklet called Redwood Park Facts that does the job of simply and quickly ex. plaining the industries poeition.

The following, quoted from part of their booklet, is an excellent statement of the facts:

"Wty do proponents want a national redwood park?

While it is hard to pin down the proponents, there are Iour reasong given at one time or another, They are:

(l) To preserve additional old growth redwood treee to see and admire. This is the rnajor reason usually given.

(2) To secure additional watershed lands to protect the old growth redwoods now in parks at lower elevations.

(3) To secure additional lands for general recreation purposes.

(4) To give national recognition to the coast redwoodg. The Sequoia gigantea redwoods are alreedy in a national park.

"Facts do not justify government acquisition o{ more old growth redwoods to see and admire.

(1) Most of the remaining redwood groves oI park.like quality are already set aside in thirty state parks. Most of the redwoods outside state parks are truly commercial timber and not parkJike.

(2) The redwoods in state parks are more than ample to satisfy public vierring requirements lor all time.

Over 115,000 acres are in state parks located along U.S. Hwy. l0l for over 300 miles. Industry is holding another 6,400 acres of parkJike groves awaiting public acquisition.

Public need for redwood park area is fully met now even though less than Uo of the redwood area now in parks has been dweloped.

Spending $S0-$200 million for the purchase of addi' tional unneedod redwoods in remote northern Cali' fornia would be a cruel hoax on the tax.paying pub' lic. The real need is to develop recreational facilities on lands already in public ownership.

"Acquisition of "watershed" laud and timber is not needed to protect redwod now in parks.

(1) Soil studies clearly establish the Mill Creek water' shed (included in the Administration's proposal) poses no threat to redwoods in the Jedediah Smith State Park nearby.

(2) Redwood Creek (the area included in the Sierra Club's proposal) doesn't even flow into or through redwoods now in state parks.

(3) In any event, experts believe the megnifrcent redwood groves on alluvial flats (now in state parlc) actually thrive on any flooding which does occurother competing snaller species are killed ofr and the redwoods put out new root systems at highor levels on their trunks as silt gathers around them.

Acquisition of additional large redwood parks to provide general outdoor recreation c&nnot be justified.

(I) Dense old growth redwood groves are not desirable for camping and picnicking because they are dark, damp and dangerous.

(2) The public already owns almost one and a half million acres of {orest land in northern coastal California which could be used for general outdoor r@reation if needed.

(3) Industry has voluntarily opened up 365,000 acres of private forest land in north coastal California.

(4) As for the State of California as a wholg the nine million acres oI puhlic land are specifically committed to recreation.

(5) The big need in the United States is for development of recreation facilities particularly near population centers.

"If the nation wants to establish a redwood national park to give the redwoods national status, the obvious solution is to convert one or more existing outstanding state parks into national parks."