Work for healthy forests Clear cutting in California forests has increased by 225% since 1994. In the Sierra Nevada the increase is over 2000%. All major streams in the northern third of the state, have been declared impaired under the Clean Water Act, primarily because of pollution from clear cuts, which includes toxic herbicides and silt. All major streams in Santa Cruz County have also been declared impaired as a result of sediment from logging and other roads. Coho salmon populations in the northern portion of California are at 1% of historic levels, primarily because their spawning streams and gravel are silted over. The California Board of Forestry is loaded with timber people, and usually sides with the industry. Now Sierra Pacific Industries has announced plans to clearcut one million acres of the Sierra Nevada during the next few years, and has already logged a portion of the Pacific Crest Trail north of Lake Tahoe. In Santa Cruz County, the California Department of Forestry continues to approve poorly-prepared timber harvest plans, refuses to enforce the forest practice rules, and amends plans without any public or agency review. Our streams continue to degrade, and our coho and steelhead populations continue to suffer. In February the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will hold a hearing on issuing new timber waivers for waste discharges. Please join us in working to keep our water supply clean and our streams healthy. To work on forestry issues in your county, call Robin Way (Monterey) at 646-8649 or Jodi Frediani (Santa Cruz) at 426-1697.

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