A group of California citizens is organizing a campaign to stop Sierra Pacific’s plan to clearcut one million acres of forestland. The company owns nearly two percent of the land in the state and has proposed a massive project to clearcut the entire tract. Residents are concerned that the land will be ruined for years. The groups are also asking people to boycott wood harvested on Sierra lands.
The environmental groups say the industry is destroying America’s Forest Policy Research and causing more fires. The Sierra Pacific Industries’ plan to clearcut one million acres of forestland will not benefit the state’s citizens. The company has pledged to replant five trees for every one that’s cut. They also say that they will use only herbicides in amounts that have been approved by state regulators and will continue to protect water and wildlife habitat. The company claims that clearing old-growth forests will help prevent fires and will help reduce the risk of wildfires. The activists, on the other hand, say that the old-growth forests are valuable habitat for rare species and are an important natural resource.
The companies claim that they adhere to the standards of the Sustainable Forestry Initiative, a nonprofit group led by the timber and paper industry. Despite Sierra Pacific’s claims, they have cleared large tracts of land in California and are voluntarily monitoring the land for safe environmental harvesting practices. They claim that the logging will be a positive thing for the local economy, but the activists say that it will harm the communities.
Despite the sweeping regulations and a court order to stop the project, Sierra Pacific Industries is still pushing ahead with the project. The company was recently granted a go-ahead to begin clearcutting in the area, but has since agreed to voluntarily monitor the process by the Forest Stewardship Council, an industry group that oversees safe environmental harvesting. This is a positive step in protecting the environment.
The company says it is following the Sustainable Forestry Initiative standards, and has agreed to replant five trees for every tree it cuts. The company has pledged to improve wildlife habitat and protect water quality by following this pledge. However, some conservative lawmakers argue that the companies are guilty of taking the blame for the state’s current fire risk. The company’s replanting plans will cause the forest to become more vulnerable to wildfires.
The California Department of Fish and Game has issued a Notice of Intent to clearcut one million acres of forest. The plan has been approved by the state’s Department of Fish and Game, which allows it to release 40 Pacific fishers into the wild. But conservationists and scientists say the plan does not make sense. Whether the company is responsible for the current fire risk or not is undetermined.