"A BIGGER PICTURE "

(The true picture of current logging practices in the Mendocino/Sonoma county area)

What do words such as "even-aged silviculture", "napalm", "Oust", "Arsenal", and "sediment impacts" have to do with the Gualala River? Plenty. These terms describe  elements of a profit driven plan to extract timber resources from the Gualala River watershed at the expense of all other species including you and I.

The largest timberland owner in the watershed is accelerating harvesting on it's approximately 30,000 acres of holdings. Gualala Redwoods Inc. is rapidly filing new plans and cutting on already approved Timber Harvest Plans (THP's) using methods which threaten the delicate biodiversity of the forest ecosystem and the very survival of federally listed threatened and endangered species. The very few Coho salmon and Steelhead below their operations are only the most obvious potential victims of extinction due to the cumulative impacts of their new, favored technique.

This technique usually involves clear cutting hundreds of acres at a time in closely spaced units that are larger in size than recommended by the Forest Practice Rules. First, all the "merchantable" trees are cut and dragged off the steep (sometimes 70 degrees and more) slopes with tractors and/or cables. All wildlife is forced into areas already occupied or into habitats they are not suited for. The other trees and vegetation is then cut and left lying until it is dry. A helicopter is brought in to ignite the "site prep" burn and drops lighted napalm from the air. Many acres can be ignited in one day and at a speed which causes a chimney effect in the center of the burn. This results in complete combustion of all but the largest stumps and debris. The high temperatures not only crack large rocks but  sterilize the soil many inches down and create a water impermeable layer below the topsoil. When the rains arrive in the winter, the impermeable layer prevents the water from being absorbed and the upper, super saturated topsoil becomes liquefied and washes down the steep, bare slope. Top soil is generated at an average rate of one inch per one hundred years so this loss and its effects will last lifetimes.

Before the cloned, 12 inch seedlings of two conifer species are planted to meet mandated requirements, the entire clear-cut area is broadcast sprayed with a powerful herbicide from Dupont called "Oust". Of the many warnings on this chemical's label is the one which describes its toxic effect on juvenile fish. This herbicide was originally intended for the long term control of roadside weeds. It suppresses all non-woody plant life for more than a year after its application. The steep, bare slopes are then devoid of sufficient grasses and plants to hold the soil. They are then subjected to rains which at times exceed 100 inches per year.  Any herbicide residues are washed into the river. Records on file at the Sonoma and Mendocino counties County Agricultural Commissioners' offices reveal that no on-site inspections have ever been conducted involving any herbicide use by Gualala Redwoods Inc. under its permit in either county.

Subsequent to this broadcast spraying, other herbicides such as "Arsenal", "Weedone", "Garlon 4", "2-4-D" and "Roundup" are applied to suppress undesired trees and plants which might prevent optimal growth of the conifer seedlings. Since such plants naturally grow faster in totally shadeless clear cuts, they are suppressed for many years with doses of herbicides to allow the slower conifers to get a head start.

So, all of this might make some sense to a "Tree Farmer" interested in maximizing the harvesting of small, 18" diameter logs, but does it makes sense in the larger picture?

The combination of accelerating cutting along with the intense burning and the toxic stew of chemicals is unacceptable for many reasons.
 
The effect of these actions on the delicate balance of the many other thousands of species of plants and animals above and below the ground will eventually cause the extinction of many of them and the potential collapse of the forest ecosystem itself. The cumulative impacts of harvesting using methods and chemicals which have not been tested on these systems will not be easily reversed when more than the salmon, birds, and erosion are used as measures of distress.

One of the biggest contributions by this forest is the production of water. Our health and survival depend on the forest being able to absorb, filter and slowly release the rain which fall on its slopes. All studies point to the fact that aggressive harvest cycles and clear cutting greatly reduces the total canopy of the forest and its soils. In concert, these retain the precipitation and slowly release it over the entire year into the river below. With more and more bare and eroding watershed area, much more of the rain will immediately flow out of the hills and into the ocean during the winter months leaving nothing for water supplies for humans and forest dwellers alike.

Pollution of the water and the atmosphere is produced by the chemicals and burning. The effects of these herbicides on the federal Clean Water Act listed rivers and endangered fish have not been tested. All the data relied on by all the state and federal agencies is provided by the manufacturer. Even that data is only on the "active" ingredient and nothing is submitted on the secret proprietary ingredients. The effect of the long term doses of these herbicides singly and in combination on humans has not been studied.

Due to many public complaints, the Sonoma County Air Pollution Control District was called in this last year when the South Fork area was blanketed with smoke.  Hundreds of acres were ignited at once on clear cuts with napalm and there was a change in the wind direction to the east. Fires jumped firelines and river protection zones were damaged.

The reliance on these harsh cutting, burning, and chemical methods stems from their lower cost to the timber operator and not due to other alternatives.

What is needed now is an immediate cessation of this amount and type of timber harvesting by GRI and other large operators in the watershed. Along with this should be the presentation of a sustainable yield plan (SYP) which demonstrates the intentions of these licensed timber operators to pursue a long term commitment to  maintaining biodiversity and not to a "cut and run", or worse, a "cut and develop" plan of attack. To save this precious forest environment and count on a steady supply of clean water and timber products we need a strong timber industry, but only one whose acts take into account the "Big Picture" and is willing to sacrifice some profits for the larger good.

Chris Poehlmann
Gualala River Improvement Network