For Immediate Release:
April 29, 2004
Contact:
Craig Thomas, Sierra Forest Legacy
530-622-8718
Jay Watson, The Wilderness Society
415-518-2604
Altered Sierra Nevada Plan Appealed Scientists, Conservationists Launch Formal Complaint Against Sierra Nevada Framework Changes
Sacramento, CA -- Over 7000 letters from scientists, conservation groups and interested citizens protesting the final Record of Decision on the Sierra Nevada Framework have been sent to the U.S. Forest Service, marking today's final deadline for an administrative appeal. The letters - more than triple the number filed on any previous Forest Service decision - request that the Agency overturn the Regional Forester’s 2004 decision and return to the popular 2001 Sierra Nevada Framework plan.
The original Framework had a broad base of support, including, scientists, conservationists, business owners, the California Attorney General's Office and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who has called the Framework " a model of forest ecosystem resource protection."
A separate appeal filed by California State Attorney General Bill Lockyer offers a stinging rebuke to the Bush Administration's revisions, saying the new plan violates the Administrative Procedures Act, the National Environmental Policy Act and other controlling environmental laws. Scientists are also contesting the lack of scientific and public input to the revised plan, which they say calls for unnecessary increased logging.
"Removal of moderately sized trees (20-30 inches in diameter), in the majority of cases, will not significantly reduce potential fire behavior. The target of fuels projects must be the surface and ladder fuels," stated U.C. Berkeley fire scientist Dr. Scott Stephens.
Jay Watson, director of The Wilderness Society’s Wildland Fire Program, criticized the plan for not spending limited resources where they are needed most.
"The top priority and emphasis must be on establishing community protection zones, not logging large fire resistant trees in remote areas", Watson said. "The Forest Service is going down the wrong trail - this plan is inconsistent with the best science."
The Forest Service adopted the Sierra Nevada Forest Plan Amendment, which directs the management of 11.5 million acres of California's national forest lands, in January 2001. Supporters of the original Framework say the 2004 revisions fail to protect old growth forests in the Sierra Nevada and violate the National Environmental Policy Act by ignoring scientific information on how to protect and enhance old growth forests and wildlife and by failing to utilize key professional and scientific opinions and research.
"The new plan fails to recognize old growth as a unique and irreplaceable resource and manages it under the same standards as the rest of the forest. This is a flawed strategy," stated old growth expert Dr. Jerry Franklin, Professor at the University of Washington's College of Forest Resources.
Craig Thomas, director of the Sierra Forest Legacy, points out that the new plan is expensive and will likely cause some wildlife to be listed under the Endangered Species Act, while the 2001 Framework provided a balanced approach to forest management, reducing the wildfire threat to communities while protecting wildlife, forests, and water quality.
“This increased logging will cost taxpayers an extra $90 million dollars over ten years to protect a mere 2,500 acres from severe fire, and needs to be seriously re-examined by the Forest Service, the public, and scientists. Removing small trees and brush can help protect families and homes from wildfire, but that's not as lucrative as logging big, old trees. It's an obvious case of winners and losers - wildlife, old growth forests, and responsible fuels management are the losers. The California timber industry appears to be the only winner.”
The 160-day appeal review period extends until early October, with additional review options by the Department of Agriculture that could extend the period for a final decision until November 2004.
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Visit the Sierra Forest Legacy Website - www.sierraforestlegacy.org - for more information and expert contacts.