Comment Log Display

At this morning’s FCAT meeting there were  many public comments
regarding the negative ecological and climate impacts of the
widespread  forest clearcutting AND tree plantations in
California.

Because climate change is near or at the tipping point it is
imperative that we get fewer forest emissions asap and also do all
we can to sequester as much forest carbon as possible in the short
term also.  Clearcut logging  which is widespread  on California
industrial timberlands is counter to all of the goals discussed
today. It  should be shocking  to all working on climate change
that clearcutting  is still legal in California. Clearcutting and
industrial tree plantations are against the principles of healthy
resilient forests.

Soil health and  biomass from forests – If we start removing
biomass from forests at a high rates then the soils will
deteriorate rapidly. In the Sierra this will have disastrous
consequences  because the soil layer is thin already.  Instead of
removing biomass and burning it why can’t California figure out how
to innovate and return these materials to the soils in forests or
other degraded soils … composting etc.

Calculation of emissions  from forest practices in California   -
CA  must have transparency in estimated emissions from timber
harvest and estimated emissions from lost carbon sequestration due
to industrial timber management processes. CAL FIRE calculations
emissions methodologies and calculations  should be independently
reviewed by EPA and or or third party neutral experts.

Industrial timber companies should not be able to take credit for
carbon sequestered on not for profit or public lands or in other
forested areas