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"Can't See the Forest for the Stumps"
Sierra Nevada Earth First activists survey timber sales in the Giant Sequoia National Monument.
"Can't See the Forest for the Stumps"
Sierra Nevada Earth First! activists surveyed units in the Burton Timber sale last weekend, discovering a continuing trend of desolation in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The Burton sale, like the Saddle, Frog, White, and Ice sales further to the south, were grandfathered in when Bill Clinton signed the Giant Sequoia National Monument Proclamation in 2000. The company involved, Sierra Forest Products of Terra Bella California, was granted extensions of its contracts fore these sales on a number of occasions when timber prices were low. Now they're cutting the heart out of forests that, according to the Monument Proclamation, were to be absolutely protected from commercial timber cutting. This iron clad protection has been gutted by two predominant factors: Clinton's assigning the Monument to the Forest Service (whose sole mission seems to be to dis-serve forests by selling them off to private interests) rather than to the National Parks; and by Bush's Orwellian "healthy forest initiative" set up by former timber lobbyist Mark Rey. Under the smoke screen (pun intended) of preventing catastrophic fires, the Bushies have opened up the monument to catastrophic cutting of big trees.
But the Burton sale is unique. Unlike the other sales, which have been halted by a temporary restraining order from federal judge Charles Breyer, the Burton timber sale was never challenged. Plaintiffs in the Saddle case, including the Sierra Club and Earth Justice!, apparently were concerned about filing on a sale that was not contiguous. Burton is located in the vicinity of Hume Lake, near Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, while all the more southerly sales are located adjacent to one another outside of Porterville, near California Hot Springs.
As in the Saddle, Frog, White, and Ice sales, forest defenders located uncut and cut trees that were in excess of the 30" diameter breast height limit. In many instances, trees were cut in bunches rather than selectively. This illegal practice opens up the canopy of the forest allowing forest soils to dry out and exposing the critically imperiled southern Pacific Fisher, to greater predation by hawks and eagles. Worse, Earth First! activists discovered what appeared to be the burnt stump of a huge tree, far in excess of the Forest Service's 30" limit--a limit already successfully challenged in the Saddle case. This follows a pattern, uncovered by activists, of illegal cutting and hiding the evidence in a unit of the Saddle sale.
At this stage in the game is it really necessary to argue about the need to stop commercial timber cutting in our national forests? These forests provide critical habitat for species. They contribute to the protection of watersheds. In a time of global warming, they provide carbon sinks. They are places of beauty and majesty. They need protection now and forever.
For additional words and images on this story concerning the Sierra Forest Products mill in Terra Bella go to http://burnthefurniture.com/no.2_april_2006/main_no.2.htm. Also, please contact the Sierra Club and Earth Justice as well as Federal judge Charles Breyer and demand that they call for an immediate temporary restraining order on the Burton sale.
Sierra Nevada Earth First! activists surveyed units in the Burton Timber sale last weekend, discovering a continuing trend of desolation in the Giant Sequoia National Monument. The Burton sale, like the Saddle, Frog, White, and Ice sales further to the south, were grandfathered in when Bill Clinton signed the Giant Sequoia National Monument Proclamation in 2000. The company involved, Sierra Forest Products of Terra Bella California, was granted extensions of its contracts fore these sales on a number of occasions when timber prices were low. Now they're cutting the heart out of forests that, according to the Monument Proclamation, were to be absolutely protected from commercial timber cutting. This iron clad protection has been gutted by two predominant factors: Clinton's assigning the Monument to the Forest Service (whose sole mission seems to be to dis-serve forests by selling them off to private interests) rather than to the National Parks; and by Bush's Orwellian "healthy forest initiative" set up by former timber lobbyist Mark Rey. Under the smoke screen (pun intended) of preventing catastrophic fires, the Bushies have opened up the monument to catastrophic cutting of big trees.
But the Burton sale is unique. Unlike the other sales, which have been halted by a temporary restraining order from federal judge Charles Breyer, the Burton timber sale was never challenged. Plaintiffs in the Saddle case, including the Sierra Club and Earth Justice!, apparently were concerned about filing on a sale that was not contiguous. Burton is located in the vicinity of Hume Lake, near Grant Grove in Kings Canyon National Park, while all the more southerly sales are located adjacent to one another outside of Porterville, near California Hot Springs.
As in the Saddle, Frog, White, and Ice sales, forest defenders located uncut and cut trees that were in excess of the 30" diameter breast height limit. In many instances, trees were cut in bunches rather than selectively. This illegal practice opens up the canopy of the forest allowing forest soils to dry out and exposing the critically imperiled southern Pacific Fisher, to greater predation by hawks and eagles. Worse, Earth First! activists discovered what appeared to be the burnt stump of a huge tree, far in excess of the Forest Service's 30" limit--a limit already successfully challenged in the Saddle case. This follows a pattern, uncovered by activists, of illegal cutting and hiding the evidence in a unit of the Saddle sale.
At this stage in the game is it really necessary to argue about the need to stop commercial timber cutting in our national forests? These forests provide critical habitat for species. They contribute to the protection of watersheds. In a time of global warming, they provide carbon sinks. They are places of beauty and majesty. They need protection now and forever.
For additional words and images on this story concerning the Sierra Forest Products mill in Terra Bella go to http://burnthefurniture.com/no.2_april_2006/main_no.2.htm. Also, please contact the Sierra Club and Earth Justice as well as Federal judge Charles Breyer and demand that they call for an immediate temporary restraining order on the Burton sale.
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This website is apparently not concerned with the truth but merely advancing a particular political agenda. The pictures here are of a tiny area and the apparent destruction is actually part of a planned and controlled activity. Take a look at the photo I am including of an area of the Sequoia National Forest that was severely damaged in the 2002 McNally Fire - while fire can be good for the forest, uncontrolled wildfire is not and some areas burned so severely that the soil is sterile and will be that way for years. I have posted a timely, accurate, and balanced report to this website but it has not appeared. Intellectual dishonesty such as is practiced at this website is part of the problem we are faced with in considering Sierra Nevada issues - not part of any solution. These practices speak very poorly of the environmental community.
national parks (dept. of interior) take an actual interest in actual forest ecology. they thin underbrush and small trees and do actual controlled burns. the national forests (dept. of agriculture) have hit on catastrophic fire as the latest excuse to cut big trees--trees that will survive fires and continue to play a vital role in forest health.
as a result of forest service MISmanagement areas that once were forest but were converted into plantations--that's the forest service's word, not mine--long ago are much drier and much more susceptible to fire. fires like mcnally invariably happen where the forest service has already botched the job of forest protection. or, rather, they have converted a forest into a plantation.
go up to the sierras; go to some timber sale units; find one that is cut and one that is uncut; check the humidity of the air and the moisture content of the soil in each. ask yourself which is a healthy and which is an unhealthy forest, which is less and which is more susceptible to fire. of course, you could cut all the trees down, and you could be certain that no fire would occur--opps, better not let George W. get ahold of that bit of logic!
anyway, my guess is that the author of the initial comment is a shill for the timber industry.
as a result of forest service MISmanagement areas that once were forest but were converted into plantations--that's the forest service's word, not mine--long ago are much drier and much more susceptible to fire. fires like mcnally invariably happen where the forest service has already botched the job of forest protection. or, rather, they have converted a forest into a plantation.
go up to the sierras; go to some timber sale units; find one that is cut and one that is uncut; check the humidity of the air and the moisture content of the soil in each. ask yourself which is a healthy and which is an unhealthy forest, which is less and which is more susceptible to fire. of course, you could cut all the trees down, and you could be certain that no fire would occur--opps, better not let George W. get ahold of that bit of logic!
anyway, my guess is that the author of the initial comment is a shill for the timber industry.
this is shunka and andy selling us out as usual.
as they sold gypsy grove. they recived $5,000 each to look the ohter way and keep NCEF
away from the logging in progress. then shunka sends some one to "discover" the logging and he throws a fit. and demands more donations.this is how the game is played
as they sold gypsy grove. they recived $5,000 each to look the ohter way and keep NCEF
away from the logging in progress. then shunka sends some one to "discover" the logging and he throws a fit. and demands more donations.this is how the game is played
Meg I was on Gypsy Mountain in Sept 2004 the day Aradia was cut. No one was "kept away" everyone in the non violent forest defense community worked TOGETHER to do the best we could save Aradia from Maxxam's depredations. You COINTELPRO forest products industry people aren't even subtle anymore you tell lies that are easily and obviously refutable.
Stay strong people and don't let these greedy power mad destroyers divide us, for divide and conquer is the classic COINTELPRO tactic.
Stay strong people and don't let these greedy power mad destroyers divide us, for divide and conquer is the classic COINTELPRO tactic.
For more information:
http://treefunk.net/forum/
Hey Matt, No one kept anyone away, because they stayed away. The tree was woefully unprotected.
Woefully undefended? Tell that to the THREE treesitters who lived in Aradia day in and day out sleeping on a cold platform or on nets suspended at 160 feet + and living mainly on oats. Tell that to the (3-5?) people who lived in the tunnel who Pacific Lumber goons threatened to murder (like you murdered our brother Gypsy) by driving a cat over their tunnel and who's lives they endangered by dumping water down their air hose. Tell that to the dozen people on the ground 3 of whom were arrested and 9 (or more?) who were fortunately quick enough to escape PL's cat paw the Humboldt county Sheriff's department. Tell that to the DOZENS of people who hiked 50 lbs back packs full of food and water up the steep trail to Aradia. No we didn't come up on motorized vehicles like the wimps of the forest products industry and police goons did. The fact that so many people worked so hard to defend Aradia for YEARS for NO money is a testament to human courage in a time of darkness, destruction for short term profits, and overt fascism in our government. Yes we may have failed becuase you overwhelmed us with a violent attack but to claim that few people were there is simply spurious.
For more information:
http://treefunk.net/forum/
I'm going to guess that Claudia Eliot is the publisher of "The Southern Sierra Messenger." as per this reference:
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:S6OnPFlELkUJ:http://www.sierranevadaconservancy.ca.gov/docs/board_packet_2006-06-01.pdf+%22Claudia+Elliott%22+timber+industry&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9&client=firefox-a
In turn looking at: http://www.southernsierramessenger.com/
One can see it links to far right talk radio so while it appears she's not directly a timber industry employee she is certainly a shill for their interests.
http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:S6OnPFlELkUJ:http://www.sierranevadaconservancy.ca.gov/docs/board_packet_2006-06-01.pdf+%22Claudia+Elliott%22+timber+industry&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9&client=firefox-a
In turn looking at: http://www.southernsierramessenger.com/
One can see it links to far right talk radio so while it appears she's not directly a timber industry employee she is certainly a shill for their interests.
For more information:
http://treefunk.net/forum/
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