Action Alert – logging is proposed in land immediately adjacent to Mendocino Woodlands Camp 2 and Camp 3. Logging is currently scheduled for 2022.
Mendocino Woodlands Threatened
Posted by Fly
The decades-long effort to limit logging in Northern California’s Jackson State Demonstration Forest, which contains Mendocino Woodlands, is currently facing vast areas of active and proposed new cuts.
Mendocino Woodlands is home to four Reclaiming witchcamps as well as dozens of other grassroots camps and retreats.
The logging is temporarily paused due to occupation of the forest by activists, creating a liability for the contractor, Anderson Logging. Anderson has requested that the areas be secured before they continue, but so far neither CalFire nor local law enforcement have been willing to do so.
Despite this easier-than-usual win, local forest defenders remain active and vigilant. In a new development, severe drought on the coast is also making it impractical for Anderson to operate water trucks to maintain their haul roads.
Mendocinotrailstewards.org has info, links to petitions, and a very informative map. Readers are urged to refer to that map for the following report.
About the Plan
Mendocino Woodlands is in the southwest portion of the JSDF boundary, and clicking the interactive link is even more useful. The map lays plain the acceleration of the logging rate over recent decades and the encroachment of the new plans on the Woodlands in general, and Camps 2 and 3 particularly in the case of one specific plan (on the eastern edge of the woodlands). The boundary of this plan comes roughly all the way to the creek, includes the entire hillside looking east from Camp 3 and the entire hillside looking south from Camp 2.
Recon has been done from both northern and southern ends. Proposed skids and haul roads are already flagged and will themselves represent a drastic impact. This includes the Old Jeep Trail which would be in plain view when calling South from the Camp 2 main ritual circle. Anyone who’s ever hiked the Old Jeep Trail should try to imagine a logging truck road on that slope and what would have to be done for that to be even possible. The only trees actually marked to cut at this point are smallish ones near the line of the proposed haul roads, but it’s not hard to spot the nice big ones they would need to cut in order to turn a profit on what is generally a young stand.
This plan is proposed for 2022, i.e., it could be attempted before any of us see our home camps again. There are already forest defenders maintaining a stoppage on nearby plans. Petitioning and otherwise working on the policy level, as per the Environmental Protection Information Center, may be the best long-term strategy at this point. The interactive map also shows the boundaries of a Proposed Permanent Reserve, which includes the Woodlands and its immediate surroundings, but the level of political backing for such a Reserve is unknown. Keep in mind, also, that changes in either weather conditions or political conditions could produce a sudden and urgent call to all who love this forest to come defend it in person.
Please respond with corrections, updates, questions, proposals, etc – DirectActionNovel@gmail.com
Photo courtesy SaveTheRedwoods.org
