David Brings Down Goliath in Sacramento Superior Court

February 13, 2002

Contacts: Susan Moloney (213)484-4474
Kent Stromsmoe (925)228-3579
David Brings Down Goliath in Sacramento Superior Court

California Heritage Tree Initiative Proponents Prevail Over Timber Lobby

On Friday, February 8th, Judge Gail D. Ohanesian, Superior Court Judge for Sacramento County, ruled against the California Forestry Association’s (CFA) effort to stall the Heritage Tree Preservation Act initiative.

The Heritage Tree Preservation Act will protect the remaining old-growth trees on non-federal land in the State. Heritage trees can be over 16 feet in diameter, are resistant to forest fires because of their size, and provide crucial habitat for numerous endangered and threatened fish species. Old-growth trees sequester dangerous carbon dioxide from the air and also provide irreplaceable ecosystem functions including water purification and soil retention.

The California Forestry Association charged Attorney General Bill Lockyer with issuing a biased Title and Summary. They claimed that the terms "old-growth tree" and "heritage tree" have no commonly understood meaning and that they are "meaningless politically charged words.”

“What will they come up with next?” pondered Susan Moloney, campaign coordinator for the Citizens’ Campaign for Old-Growth Preservation (CFOG). “Why is it that the timber industry doesn’t want the voters to decide the fate of the last 3% of our old-growth trees?”

CFA has the option to appeal the ruling. “They’re going to try everything they can think of to stop us from protecting our State’s heritage,” said initiative supporter and former north coast congressman Dan Hamburg. “They don’t want the public to decide this issue because they’ve seen the polls that show we have the public support we need to win.”

Meanwhile, CFOG continues to gather signatures and to raise funds to defend against the industry’s next attack. For updated information on the campaign, visit our website at http://www.ancienttrees.org.


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