Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan
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The Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan A Citizens’ Alternative to Maxxam Management of Headwaters Forest DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Coordinated by the Trees Foundation October 1997 The Trees Foundation POB 2202, Redway, CA 95560 707/923-4377 Fax: 707/923-4427 Email: [email protected] This document is printed with no virgin fiber, from 100% recycled post-consumer waste. DRAFT Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan Dedication The Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan is dedicated to the life, work, commitment, and inspiration of Judi Bari. Judi would never let us forget that justice in the forest will only come with justice for the people who work in the forest. This project is a direct result of her tireless effort to protect Headwaters Forest. DRAFT Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan T able of Contents Section Page I. Overview . 1 II. Introduction . 3 III. What Exactly is Headwaters Forest? . 4 IV. Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan Goal and Objectives . 6 V. History of the Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan . 6 VI. Natural History. 7 VII. The Landscape Context: The Health of the Redwood Ecosystem. 9 VIII. Conservation Strategy: Protecting and Recovering Biodiversity Conservation Biology. 10 Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan Management Area Design Cores . 16 Habitat Recovery Zones. 21 Residual Forests . 23 Riparian Reserves . 24 Long-Term Forest Management Area . 26 Suggested Conservation Easements . 26 IX. Vegetation Analysis. 28 X. Economic Development Strategy: Building a Stable Forest-Based Community Long-Term Responsible Forestry . 30 Restoration: Fisheries and Watershed Recovery . 40 Recreation . 45 Non-Timber Forest Products . 47 XI. Economic Development Findings: The Long-Term Economic Impact to Humboldt County . 47 XII. Conclusions & Recommendations for Long-Term Management . 57 XIII. Request for Input . 61 Appendices 1. Glossary . 62 2. References . 66 3. GIS Methodology and Results. 68 4. GIS Data Sources . 71 5. Existing Vegetation Classification and Mapping from Landsat Imagery by Klamath Bioregional Assessment Project, Humboldt State University . 72 6. But What About Jobs? by Judi Bari . 76 7. Institute for Sustainable Forestry: The Ten Elements of Sustainability . 79 8. Executive Summary: The Economic Benefits of Small-Scale Sustainable Forestry by the Institute for Sustainable Forestry . 80 9. Watershed Restoration Plan for Proposed Headwaters Forest Complex by Pacific Watershed Associates . 82 continued on next page DRAFT Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan 10. About Maxxam/Pacific Lumber: The Larger Issues of Local Control and Corporate Accountability . 85 11. This is Our Stand . 88 12. List of Preparers . 89 List of Figures, Tables, and Maps FIGURES 1 Management Areas by Acreage . 14 2 Headwaters Forest Habitat Development Under Certified Restoration Management . 34 3 Projected Size and Density Class Development. 35 4 Projected Restoration Forestry Harvest Volumes . 36 5 Forestry Analysis Results . 37 6 Headwaters Forest Harvest Volume Under Certified Forest Management . 38 7 Net Revenue from Headwaters Forest Under Certified Forest Management . 39 8 Costs and Person-Years of Proposed Restoration Work . 45 9 Proposed Harvest Levels. 49 10 Timber Management Direct Employment by Five-Year Period . 50 11 Primary Processing Employment. 50 12 Timber-Related Revenues by Five-Year Period. 52 13 Stewardship Planning and Resource Recovery Expenditures. 54 M APS 1 Headwaters Forest, Humboldt County, and California Location . 4 2 Headwaters Forest Ancient Groves. 5 3 HFSP Management Areas. 15 4 HFSP Forest Cores . 17 5 HFSP Habitat Recovery Zones, Residual Stands, and Residual Buffers. 22 6 HFSP Forest Cores and Riparian Reserves . 25 7 HFSP Long-Term Forest Management Areas. 26 8 HFSP Suggested Conservation Easements . 27 9 Comparison of Proposed Headwaters Forest Reserve Boundaries . 87 DRAFT Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan I. Overview The Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan (HFSP), born from a deep concern for the integrity of the redwood ecosystem and the viability of timber-related jobs and revenue, offers an alternative for management and land use of the 60,000-acre Headwaters Forest. It is pre- sented to the community of Humboldt County and concerned persons elsewhere, including the timber workers, conservation community, and government agencies. Based on accepted scientific principles of conservation biology, the Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan puts forth a three-pronged proposal for preserving the existing ancient red- wood forest. This is achieved by setting aside pristine core reserves, restoring cutover lands to suitable mature-forest habitat, and carrying out responsible, long-term forestry in appro- priate areas of second-growth forest. Economic analysis clearly reveals that significant levels of employment and revenue will still be generated from Headwaters Forest, through implementing forestry pre- scriptions and restoration activities. Most emphatically, this Stewardship Plan refutes the erroneous assumption by some sectors of the pub- lic that conservationists want to “lock up” the entire 60,000 acres as a nature preserve. Throughout the decade-long campaign to save Headwaters from destruction, it has been recognized by many – most notably by the late Judi Bari – that true resolution of this debate can only come by addressing the needs of timber workers employed by the Pacific Lumber Company (PL), which owns Headwaters Forest. Furthermore, the role of this forest in Humboldt County’s regional economy must be taken into account, though as this study shows, that role need not (and should not) be limited to wholesale liquidation of the existing old-growth resource, which is what current owner Maxxam/PL has proposed. The Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan aims to present a thorough and scientifically credible plan. All Species Grove. Photo: Doug Thron We have included both in-text definitions of terms itali- cized as well as a complete glossary. Because this document is only a draft, it will be modi- fied in upcoming weeks by public comments and critiques. It is our hope that significant public input, especially from beyond the conservation and scientific communities, will con- tribute to making this an all-inclusive and workable blueprint for the future of Headwaters Forest and all of Humboldt County. (See Section XIII: Request for Input.) We respectfully request that timber workers and all residents of Humboldt County concerned about our collective environment and economy read this plan and think about how your needs can best be addressed. This document does not fully engage issues of property ownership or acquisition. In fact, Headwaters Forest could theoretically be owned by PL and managed according to the conservation biology principles presented herein. Much of the debate around Headwaters Forest concerns the overarching issue of “stewardship” of the land, that is, using the land in a responsible manner consistent with a healthy ecosystem and long-term resource base. It directly contrasts with the practice of “exploiting” the land in a short-term drive for quick profits. Page 1 DRAFT Headwaters Forest Stewardship Plan Prior to its acquisition by Maxxam corporation, the old Pacific Lumber Company more closely approached a definition of “steward.” Maxxam, however, exemplifies a “cut and run” corporate mentality that views environmental concerns contemptuously, as an impedi- ment to business. Over the past decade of Maxxam ownership, citizens have loudly protest- ed the rapid depletion of rare old-growth redwood and Douglas-fir forests on PL property, and the serious adverse consequences to the region, both ecological and economic. We hope the ideas presented here will move the dialogue around Headwaters Forest beyond the tired and false dichotomy of “jobs vs. the environment.” Contrary to current cor- porate management practices in Headwaters Forest, our Stewardship Plan shows that jobs can co-exist with effective environmental stewardship. It is an attempt to portray the type of land use we believe would most benefit the Headwaters Forest while attaining the goal of ecosystem maintenance and restoration, as well as forest productivity. This plan provides an empowering “citizens’ alternative” to the common inaccessibili- ty of information, demonstrating the means by which other options to the status quo can be explored and implemented. The information needed for decision-making, if it exists at all, is rarely shared among all the parties involved. Important environmental-impact decisions made by state and federal agencies such as the California Department of Forestry and the US Fish and Wildlife Service are often based on little more than data made available to them by the corporate landowner. A closed loop is thereby created in which the industry feeds the regulators the data most favorable to itself. Public access to this information is dif- ficult, at best, often requiring citizens to use the Freedom of Information Act to obtain impor- tant information and data, or else generate their own. Development of the HFSP has resulted in some of the best available maps and data on Headwaters Forest today. We thank all the individuals and organizations who assisted us with gathering this data and note that much more needs to be done to promote a cooperative atmosphere regarding the sharing and review of important data by industry and other sources. This Stewardship Plan also goes beyond the status quo by prioritizing recovery of endangered species to the point where federal protection is no longer necessary,