The Great Redwood Forest: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is in your coalition and what is your goal?
The Great Redwood Forest is a vision of conservation organizations, timber and mill workers and owners, and local Humboldt County residents for Pacific Lumber Company (PL) lands. The goal of The Great Redwood Forest vision is a permanent working forest that will provide long-term economic stability through sustainable forestry, by providing local jobs for local residents in perpetuity. The Great Redwood Forest vision also includes permanent protections for the most ecologically sensitive parts of the forest, including old-growth redwoods, threatened and endangered species habitat, and clean water sources. We want to ensure that whoever owns these lands, they will never be sold to developers and that they will provide a continuous supply of timber to local mills through sustainable timber management, forever.
To find out more about our coalition, check out Who We Are.
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Doesn’t the bankruptcy court decide the future of these forests?
Our local environment, economy and community need stable jobs and healthy forests that protect wildlife habitat and clean water. The only way to make this possible is by permanently ensuring our forestlands are kept in sustainable timber management and enabling the community to have an ownership stake. Regardless of the outcome of the bankruptcy proceeding and who takes ownership of the PL lands, we want to ensure that they implement a permanent working forest that provides jobs and permanent environmental protections, so that these forests and our heritage will never be lost to “ranchettes” and vineyards and so the remaining old growth is permanently protected.
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Is it really possible to protect both timber jobs and the forest environment?
Yes. Our vision is of permanent protection for timber jobs and the environment. The Great Redwood Forest vision includes sustainable timber practices that keep the forest strong and producing timber, forever. This means an end to boom-and-bust cycles of clear-cut logging that damage our environment and the local economy. Sustainable forest management will also minimize the risk of flooding, protect clean water resources, and help prevent catastrophic fire, thereby protecting jobs, the environment and our community. The Great Redwood Forest will permanently protect the most ecologically significant areas, including remaining old-growth forest, while ensuring sustainable timber harvests throughout the majority of the timberlands.
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What would keep The Great Redwood Forest from becoming a park, which would end timber harvest and local jobs?
The land will not become a park or preserve because The Great Redwood Forest vision includes a permanent working forest that will be managed sustainably to ensure a continuous supply of timber to the mills, while at the same time protecting the most environmentally sensitive areas of PL lands.
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How will The Great Redwood Forest protect forests from destructive logging practices that harm our environment and our communities?
The Great Redwood Forest vision includes permanent conservation for the most ecologically sensitive parts of the forest, wildlife habitat, water sources and remaining old-growth stands, which will be protected from harvest. On the rest of the land, the vision calls for sustainable timber management and harvest practices that keep the forests in tact, while also providing ongoing timber jobs. This means an end to clear cut logging that not only devastates the environment, but also creates an unstable boom-bust economic cycle that is harmful for the local job market.
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What about the Scotia mill? What will happen to the mill and its jobs?
Our vision keeps the Scotia mill open and running in perpetuity. The Great Redwood Forest will protect the livelihoods of the people of Scotia and Humboldt County by ensuring the Scotia mill has a permanent working forest to keep high-quality timber going to the mills.
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How Can I Help?
To find out more about how you can take action to support a permanent balance for Humboldt County’s future, click here.
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