Although the comment period is now closed, you can read about the Draft EIR and CEQA Process below.

Background

Under the proposed Plan:

• Logging would continue to be the principal focus of the forest's management with almost four out of every five acres slated for some sort of logging over time. A third of the logging would be "even-aged management," including clearcutting dressed up under the name "variable retention." Even-aged logging removes most or all of the older trees and variable retention simply means that a few trees or groups of trees are left after a clearcut.
• Another third of the logging would be designated as "group selection," mini-clearcuts from 2 ½ acres to 5 acres.
• Watercourse protections, wildlife corridors and old growth development areas would be minimal.
• Recreation planning would be deferred.

Jackson is, by far, the largest publicly owned forest in the redwood region of Mendocino and Sonoma Counties and is one of the largest tracts of public land in the coastal region north of San Francisco and south of Humboldt County. There are no federal forestlands in this area. Within its boundaries a few groves of ancient trees still survive, and the Plan does protect them. However, the 80-110 year-old second growth is mostly designated for logging. Only a three-hour drive from millions of people in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jackson has a crucial role in maintaining both the region’s redwood ecosystem and its outdoor recreation potential.

The Draft EIR and the CEQA Process

On June17, 2002, the California Department of Forestry (CDF) released a Draft Management Plan and accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for Jackson State Forest. Comments were accepted until July 19, 2002.

Despite CDF's efforts to restrict comment (by prohibiting emails and faxes, charging $75 for a copy of the EIR, and refusing to place free copies in the San Francisco area), 4000 people wrote comments, almost all of which opposed CDF's plans to clearcut one-half of the forest, cut the oldest unentered second-growth stands, provide minimal stream protection, authorize use of herbicides, and defer development of a plan for recreation.

In addition to general public comment, a number of experts submitted comments documenting serious errors and omissions in the EIR and Management Plan. If you have time to review these comments, you will understand why it is so important to prevent CDF from implementing its proposed management plan.

The next step is for CDF to respond to all of the comments received. These responses will be contained in a proposed final EIR. If significant changes are made in the Plan or EIR, it must by law be circulated for an additional comment period. If CDF does not consider any changes significant, it can certify the EIR and request the Board of Forestry to approve its management plan.

The EIR can be legally challenged within 30 days after it is certified. The Campaign to Restore Jackson State Redwood Forest will carefully review the final EIR to determine if it meets the legal requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA, pronounced "SEE KWA").

For more information visit Save Jackson Forest.