May 10, 2001

There is an ongoing campaign to protect the Mattole’s largest stand of old-growth forest. This campaign has many faces, including public comment, resident groups who have periodically maintained a presence by blockading gates into the property, forest defenders who have been camping on timber harvest units, and a group of individuals working to promote the acquisition of the forest for conservation purposes.

The MRC supports the idea of preserving the old-growth forests of the Lower North Fork. We have appealed to Pacific Lumber to remain open to alternatives to harvest. As part of our Forest Practices Review Program, we regularly review and provide comments on individual THPs within the Mattole.

Currently, there are six Pacific Lumber Timber Harvest Plans (THP) in the Lower North Fork area, four approved and one open for review under the public comment process. There are 2 Pacific Lumber THPs in the Upper North Fork.

Rainbow Ridge forms the headwaters of two of the Mattole River’s largest tributaries, the Upper North Fork and the Lower North Fork. The Upper North Fork, for the most part, has been previously logged. Much of the Lower North Fork, however, has not.

The land along the Lower North Fork contains almost 3,000 acres of old-growth forest. According to available information, this forest is the largest lower-elevation coastal Douglas fir old-growth forest in the state of California. In the Mattole, it is the largest old-growth forest we have left. Since 1947, over 92% of the old-growth forests within the Mattole watershed have been harvested. Once cut, it can take many years for the land and waterways to recover.

Old-growth forests are a dynamic home to a rich diversity of life not found in younger forests. With habitat for many rare species, the forests of the Lower North Fork are clearly a treasure worthy of preservation and restoration. According to Pacific Lumber’s Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP), the corporation intends to harvest most of its old-growth holdings in the Mattole during the next ten years.

The terrain in the Rainbow Ridge area is some of the steepest and most unstable in our watershed. This instability is magnified by the proximity of earthquake faults and high annual rainfall. Access is also an issue in these harvests – most of the proposed Timber Harvest Plans involve new road construction. Harvest in this area will combine the loss of this significant old-growth forest with an increase in sedimentation of the Mattole River, which is already severely impacted by excessive sediment.

We encourage residents and landowners to be involved in the public comment process. If you would like information regarding Pacific Lumber Company’s forestlands and Timber Harvest Plans in the Rainbow Ridge area, please contact Ali Freedlund at the MRC office.



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Table of Contents for Mattole Restoration Newsletter, Issue 16 - Spring/Sumer 2001