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Save the Northwest’s old-growth forests from President Bush’s attack!

The Bush Administration has announced that it intends to remove protections for much of the remaining unprotected old-growth forests in northwestern California and the Pacific Northwest. The protection measure targeted for elimination by the White House is called the "survey and manage" requirement, and the Administration correctly sees it as an impediment to the liquidation of roughly 20 percent of the region's remaining ancient forest on federal lands.

One of the key provisions of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP), a compromise between the timber industry and the environmental community negotiated by the Clinton Administration in 1994, is a requirement that agency staff conduct surveys for certain sensitive species in areas proposed for logging. The "survey and manage" species range from the beautiful lynx to rare lichens and snails. These surveys often have resulted in areas proposed for logging being protected.

Federal agencies were extremely slow in implementing the survey and manage rules, so conservationists sued them in court in 1998 and won a clear victory that required the agencies to comply before logging in sensitive areas. Logging levels have remained fairly low in the region since.

However, the election of President George W. Bush in 2000 changed the politics of the issue considerably. The timber industry sued over the survey and manage provisions, and the Bush Administration failed to defend the NWFP in court, thus siding with the timber industry. The White House then developed an out-of-court settlement with logging companies that called for the complete dismantling of the survey and manage requirements. This is similar to the Administration's failure to defend other Clinton-era protection measures in court, including the proposed Roadless Conservation Rule.

At stake in this battle is the future of 20 percent or more of the remaining ancient forest in northwestern California's federal lands. Without the survey and manage requirement, much of these forests could be logged.

What you can do

The Bush Administration has decided not to hold any public hearings on this issue despite its monumental importance. However, they will accept written comments if they are sent by November 20, 2002 (letters must be postmarked by that date). IT IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE ADMINISTRATION HEAR YOUR VOICE IN SUPPORT OF PROTECTING THESE OLD-GROWTH FORESTS.

In your letter, please make the following points:

• The survey and manage regulation should be maintained because it is an integral part of the Northwest Forest Plan.
• Since most of the species on the survey and manage list live in old-growth forest, the impact of the survey and manage requirement can be reduced by simply not logging what little ancient forest remains on our federal lands.
• You strongly support preserving all remaining old-growth forest and large trees on public land. In your own words you may want to explain why these forests are important to you.

Send written comments concerning this proposal to:
Comments
SEIS for Survey and Manage
PO Box 2965
Portland, OR 97203

Please also send a copy of your letter to:
Senator Dianne Feinstein
C/O Michael Walker
One Post Street, Suite 2450
San Francisco, CA 94104
Fax: 415-393-0710

Senator Barbara Boxer
C/O John Ormsby
1700 Montgomery Street
San Francisco, CA 94111
Fax: 415-956-6701

Thank you very much for your help. For more information, please contact Ryan Henson at (530) 474-4808 or ryan@calwild.org, or Jason Swartz at (530) 758-0380 or jasons@calwild.org.